Iraq is set to ban the popular navigation app Waze, which was founded in Israel.
asserted
which → set → Israel
Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad announced the move on Tuesday.
asserted
Sanad → announce → Tuesday
It has prompted discussions in Iraq over whether the country can build its own alternative and whether banning one app protects users’ location data.
asserted
banning → prompt → data
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What has Iraq decided and why?
asserted
Iraq → withdraw → What
The Ministry of Communications plans to block the use of Waze by the end of December, according to the Iraqi newspaper Al-Mada.
uncertain
Ministry → plan → newspaper
Sanad told the broadcaster Rudaw that it would take effect some time at the start of 2027.
asserted
it → tell → 2027
He made the announcement on the sidelines of the Hitex 2026 technology exhibition in Erbil, the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
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He → make → Iraq
“Because it comes from the entity [Israel] and is Israeli-made, we will ban it at the beginning of 2027,” he said.
asserted
he → come → 2027
Waze is a widely used navigation app.
asserted
Waze → use → ?
Hundreds of motorists, including taxi drivers, use it to get around.
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Hundreds → include → it
The service relies on users to report traffic jams, accidents and police checkpoints as they happen.
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they → rely → jams
It was developed in Israel, and Google bought it in 2013 for nearly $1bn.
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Google → develop → 1bn
Waze’s privacy policy lets it collect users’ locations, routes, destinations, search histories and device details, depending on their settings.
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it → let → settings
Pooled across many users over time, such data have security value because they can reveal movement patterns, peak times and unusual changes.
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they → pool → patterns
Rudaw reported that the app has been the subject of security discussions in Iraq over its alerts being used to avoid checkpoints although Sanad did not link the ban to that issue.
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Sanad → report → issue
Why does the Israeli connection matter in Iraq?
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connection → matter → Iraq
Iraq does not recognise Israel or have diplomatic relations with it and has formally been at war with it since 1948.
asserted
Iraq → recognise → 1948
A 2022 law criminalises any diplomatic, political, military, economic or cultural ties with Israel.
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law → criminalise → Israel
Its penalties include life imprisonment and the death penalty.
asserted
penalties → include → imprisonment
It was passed by 275 votes in the 329-seat Council of Representatives.
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It → pass → Representatives
The law applies to all Iraqi citizens, state institutions and media as well as private companies and foreign entities operating in the country, including the Kurdish region.
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law → apply → region
Sanad has not specifically said Waze must be blocked under the antinormalisation law.
asserted
Waze → say → law
Distrust of Israel has been bolstered by the US-Israel war on Iran.
asserted
Distrust → bolster → Iran
The United States and its allies have targeted Iraq’s Iran-aligned militias with air strikes and economic measures.
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States → target → strikes
During the war, Iraq also faced a serious case of Israeli infiltration.
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Iraq → face → infiltration
In May, US media reported that Israel had built two secret military outposts deep inside Iraq’s desert to support its war on Iran.
uncertain
Israel → report → Iran
One post was nearly exposed by a local shepherd who stumbled upon it and was killed.
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who → expose → it
What alternatives is the government offering?
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government → offer → alternatives
Sanad said users could switch to Google Maps or Iraqi navigation apps.
uncertain
users → say → Maps
Communications Ministry spokesman Omar al-Amiri said in remarks carried by Al-Mada that Waze would be replaced by a yet-to-be-named Iraqi app.
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Waze → say → app
He said the app would run without technical problems.
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app → say → problems
Al-Mada also quoted Iraqi technology researcher Mustafa Kamel al-Sharif as saying a national alternative would take more than an app with an Iraqi map and logo.
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alternative → quote → map
It would need accurate geographic databases, a constantly updated road network, routing systems and live data on traffic, accidents and closures, he said.
asserted
he → need → traffic
He also told the newspaper that the crux of the issue lies in how Iraq regulates its citizens’ data and other services may also collect sensitive data similar to Waze.
uncertain
services → tell → Waze
What remains unclear?
uncertain
What → remain → ?
The ministry has not said how the block will be enforced or whether it will cover the Kurdish region.
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it → say → region
It has also not set out the ban’s legal basis or said when the Iraqi app will launch.
asserted
app → set → basis
Another unknown is why Google Maps, owned by the same parent company, Alphabet, would remain available or serve as an alternative.
asserted
Maps → own → alternative
The government has also not answered why Waze is being banned now when its Israeli roots have been long known.
asserted
roots → answer → ?
The Aporia
