Why has Iraq decided to ban online map service Waze?

What the report says

Iraq is preparing to block the navigation app Waze, with officials linking the decision to the service’s Israeli origins. Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said the ban is expected to take effect at the start of 2027, with reporting by Iraqi media suggesting the ministry aims to stop use of the app by the end of December. The announcement came during a technology exhibition in Erbil, in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region.

Waze is widely used by drivers and combines user-submitted traffic, accident and checkpoint alerts with location-based routing. According to Al Jazeera’s report, the app was developed in Israel and later acquired by Google in 2013. The move has stirred debate in Iraq about whether the country can build a local alternative and whether restricting the app would meaningfully improve privacy or security. Officials have suggested users could switch to Google Maps or to an Iraqi navigation app that is still being developed.

The decision sits within Iraq’s broader political and legal hostility toward Israel. Iraq does not recognize Israel, and a 2022 law criminalizes ties with it. Al Jazeera noted that the government has not clearly explained the legal basis for the Waze ban, how it would be enforced, or whether it would apply in the Kurdish region. It also remains unclear why Waze is being targeted now, given that its Israeli background has long been known.