Iraqi minister stands by plan to ban Waze

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The navigation app Waze is not banned in Iraq for now, Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad said on Thursday, adding that he still intends to block it once local alternatives are ready.

Speaking at the Internet Governance Forum in Baghdad, Sanad said that young Iraqi developers and local companies have approached the ministry with proposals for mapping and traffic apps. He expects these products to draw users away from Waze, leaving it with almost no users in the period ahead.

On the forum's sidelines, the minister called for support for national software development so that Iraq relies less on imported apps.

Earlier this month, Sanad announced plans to ban Waze at the start of 2027 because the app was developed in Israel. Google bought the app in 2013.

Iraq has no diplomatic relations with Israel. A 2022 law criminalizes any political, economic, or cultural ties with it.