KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Waze on Thursday rejected Malaysia’s claims that it collects sensitive government information or allows any entity to exploit personal user data, after the government banned civil servants from using the navigation app, citing its Israeli connection.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office in a statement Wednesday said the decision took into account the status of Waze Mobile Limited as a data controller incorporated in Israel and operating under Israeli law.
A Waze spokesman described the allegations of compromising personal data as “completely false.” He did not comment on any Israeli connections.
“Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards,” the spokesman said, in a response to The Associated Press. Waze was developed in Israel before it was bought by U.S. tech company Google in 2013.
Predominantly Muslim Malaysia is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic or direct economic ties with Israel.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told Parliament on Thursday that the ban on Waze applies only to public servants carrying out official duties.
