Waze ban debate tests Iraq’s local tech ambitions

Shafaq News- Baghdad

After weeks of debate over a proposed ban on Waze in Iraq, the Communications and Media Commission (CMC) has ruled out blocking the Google-owned navigation app, shifting attention to whether Iraqi developers can build local alternatives capable of competing for users rather than relying on government restrictions.

Waze has been used in Iraq for years for route planning and real-time traffic monitoring. Drivers, transport and delivery workers, as well as other users, rely on the application for their daily journeys.

Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad had announced plans to ban Waze because of its Israeli origins, initially setting the beginning of 2027 for the move before bringing the date forward to the end of December 2026.

On Thursday, October 22, however, Sanad said there was currently no ban, while maintaining his previous position and predicting that Waze use would decline as Iraqi alternatives entered the market.

A more definitive position came from Baligh Abu Kalal, head of the Executive Body of the CMC, who ruled out banning the application, noting that Waze is now owned by Google, whose services are widely used in Iraq. At the same time, he called for the development of competing Iraqi applications while leaving users free to choose.

Speaking at the Internet Governance Forum in Baghdad, Abu Kalal said banning a Google application because of the nationality of its original developers was not under consideration.

He said the commission supports the Communications Ministry and Iraqi developers in efforts to create local alternatives, while acknowledging that developing competitive applications would not be easy.

Iraqi Alternatives

Amid the debate over Waze, Sanad told Shafaq News that several Iraqi programmers and local companies had approached the ministry with proposals for mapping and traffic-monitoring applications.

The ministry had received several proposals from local developers, he said, predicting that the emergence of such applications would reduce reliance on Waze and eventually leave it with only limited use.

The proposed ban has also drawn interest from Iraqi programmers, some of whom have presented local projects and applications on social media, prompting debate over whether such initiatives could be developed into products capable of meeting users' needs.

Software developer Muamal Tahseen Ali said the issue should be viewed from two perspectives: digital sovereignty and the interests of citizens, while distinguishing between building a strong national alternative and imposing one by banning existing applications.

“Having a national mapping and geographic data system would be an important step toward building an independent digital sector,” Ali told Shafaq News.

He called for support for Iraqi companies and programmers to develop applications capable of competing internationally rather than limiting their ambitions to alternatives designed only for the domestic market.

At the same time, Ali warned that banning an application used by citizens every day required prior technical assessment, particularly because any local alternative would first have to demonstrate that it could provide a reliable and secure service.

“A local application is not necessarily safer or more efficient simply because it is local,” he said, arguing that digital sovereignty cannot be reduced to banning a foreign application but requires an integrated national system for data protection and service development.

Ali said the best way to support Iraqi products was to provide reliable alternatives, publish the results of technical testing and allow local companies to compete under clear standards rather than directing users toward a single option.

User Trust

The challenges facing Iraqi navigation applications extend beyond map design and user interfaces to positioning accuracy, road and congestion updates, service reliability and the protection of personal data.

Programmer and game designer Mustafa Basil Mohammed told Shafaq News that the real measure of an Iraqi application's success was neither its designation as a national product nor the promotional campaigns accompanying its launch, but users' actual experience and the value the service provides.

Iraqi programmers are capable of developing competitive applications, Mohammed said, but their success would depend on demonstrating strong data protection, meeting security standards and ensuring system stability without problems that interfere with daily use.

A successful developer, he added, must offer a product that solves a genuine problem and provides a level of service comparable to established applications. New applications should be available free of charge and should not become platforms dominated by promotional advertising that provides little value to users.

Mohammed called on the government to give Iraqi developers room to present their ideas and allow several competing applications to enter the market, avoiding monopolies or forcing citizens to use a particular program.

The problem, he said, was not a lack of capability among Iraqi programmers but a weak support environment and insufficient investment in software development as a productive economic sector capable of generating jobs and creating scalable local services.

National Digital Policy

Dr. Roshna al-Jaf, an expert in programming and computer technology, said the Waze debate should provide an opportunity to reconsider policies supporting digital applications and help Iraqi developers turn their ideas into practical projects.

Al-Jaf told Shafaq News that the Communications Ministry should open the way for Iraqi programmers to submit credible local projects and applications. Implementing such projects, she added, “did not necessarily have to be limited exclusively to local developers,” as long as Iraqi ideas and initiatives contributed to building national services.

She stressed the importance of involving specialists in programming and cybersecurity in digital projects to “ensure technical efficiency and protect user data.”

Al-Jaf also called for a clear Iraqi policy to govern the internet and digital-services sector, saying she was prepared to provide studies, data and maps to the Communications Ministry “free of charge” if serious steps were taken toward establishing secure Iraqi digital infrastructure and developing the telecommunications sector.