Editor’s Note: AI (artificial intelligence) inputs have contributed to much of the background content in this article.
AS anti-Zionist Malaysians diligently rushed to delete Waze from their smart telco devices – while civil servants reluctantly do so fearing disciplinary action – Malaysia will emerge as only the third country in the world to have banned the navigation/live traffic app.
It joins Iran which was the first nation to have previously blocked and restricted access to the app and Iraq which has announced a complete ban scheduled to take effect in 2027 (with potential implementation moved up to late 2026).
The primary reasons cited by these countries are concerns over data security, national sovereignty and the app’s corporate origins and legal status in Israel.
But aside from these concerns, the three countries share some glaring common traits – they are Muslim nations with strong political stance in support of Palestinian rights and regional self-determination in the Middle East.
While it is understandable if both Iran and Iraq ban Waze on national security ground in view of the duo’s proximity to Israel – the protagonist of their ban – with Iran at direct war with the Zionist regime, one wonders how does such security risks pose a threat to Malaysia which is located some 7,700km away.
More so, if Israeli origins and data jurisdiction have been the most cited reasons for Malaysia banning its civil servants from accessing Waze with effect from Wednesday (Oct 21) with total public ban under review as per Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s revelation yesterday (Oct 24), by the same logic, the entire Middle East should have emulated the Iran-Iraq footsteps en masse.
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Editor’s Note: A spokesperson for Waze has denied Putrajaya’s claims that Waze collects sensitive government data or allows exploitation as “completely false”.
The platform maintains that it adheres to strict international privacy policies and global data protection standards.
While Google acquired Waze in 2013, it has often been argued that the tech giant’s subsidiary Waze Mobile Ltd remains incorporated in Israel and operates under Israeli legal and data controller frameworks.
Of interest is Saudi Arabia which is deemed the geographic region where Islam originated or even Turkey – often dubbed the most secular Muslim Muslim-majority nation – which is formally considered a strategic rival and adversary by Israeli officials though neither country has officially declared war or severed diplomatic relations.
Or even neighbouring Indonesia which boasts having the largest Muslim population in the world is ranked as one of the top countries globally for Waze traffic and user numbers (one of the top traffic countries with over 1 million monthly organic site/app visits and millions of active drivers).
Likewise, Waze provides full functionality and is a popular choice for Saudi drivers across major urban centres including Riyadh and Jeddah as well as major highway routes.
Little wonder, sometimes former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahin talked sense when he took a swipe at the Madani government for its over-zealousness to block Waze in Malaysia.
“Why the rush to ban WAZE? Please don’t tell me it’s a security threat because Israel would have all the data,” the newly minted PAS member (having leapfrogged from UMNO) jibed in a Facebook post.
“If that’s true, we should immediately ban the World Bank, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and every giant computer company, AI company and gadget from the US. Israel owns the US; the US Congress. PMX should know this.”
Or as pointed out by finfluencer Bitcoin Malaya (@bitcoinmalaya_) on Threads, why is the Madani government so eagerly opting for TuJu as a Waze replacement option when there are not only embarrassing technical shortcomings in the app but also the financially unsound position of its co-developer Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd.
According to their latest SSM filing:
- Revenue: RM0
- Loss after tax: -RM627,346
- Share capital: RM2,000,000
- Accumulated losses: -RM919,972
- Net asset value: ~RM1.08 mil
To be fair, having RM0 revenue and a RM627K operating loss isn’t unusual for an early-stage software company.
The problem isn’t that TuJu exists, it is the expectation that it can replace Waze. – Oct 24, 2026
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Main image credit: DemiRakyat Channel/Facebook
