Iraq plans to block Waze over Israeli origins, minister says

Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said access could be restricted by the end of the year or early 2027. He cited Google Maps and an unnamed local app as alternatives.

Iraq’s communications ministry plans to block Waze by the end of December, Al Jazeera reported, while Sanad told Rudaw the measure would begin in early 2027. Other outlets, including The National, reported that the minister later brought the deadline forward to the end of 2026. Authorities have not explained how the block would be enforced or identified its legal basis.

Sanad cited Waze’s Israeli origins as the reason for the move. The app was developed in Israel, and Google acquired it in 2013 for nearly $1 billion. Waze uses driver reports about traffic, accidents and checkpoints. Its privacy policy allows the collection of location, route and search data, depending on a user’s settings. The minister did not directly link the decision to reports that Waze alerts can help drivers avoid checkpoints.

Officials have pointed to Google Maps and a locally developed navigation app whose name and launch date have not been announced. Google Maps belongs to the same parent company, Alphabet, as Waze. Al Jazeera quoted technology researcher Mustafa Kamel al-Sharif as saying that a functional local service would require The ministry has not said whether the restriction would also apply in the Kurdistan Region.