Analysis of Telecom Minister Mustafa Sand's Move to Ban Waze in Iraq and Better Alternatives

Analysis The Waze navigation app continues to operate in Iraq for now, but its future is suspended between a move announced by Telecom Minister Mustafa Sand to ban it and the Communications and Media Commission's confirmation that no blocking decision has yet been issued. The file raises a broader question than a single app: how can the state achieve its sovereign and security objectives without making millions of drivers and delivery and transport companies pay the price?

What has been announced so far

On October 6, 2026, on the sidelines of a technology exhibition in Erbil, Minister Sand announced that the ministry is moving to ban Waze at the start of 2027, justifying this by saying the app was founded in Israel and noting that alternatives are available to users, including Google Maps and Iraqi apps. On the same day the minister issued a statement saying: "We decided to cancel our decision to ban the Waze app at the beginning of 2027 and to advance the decision to the end of the coming December."

Waze was founded in Israel before being acquired by the American company Google in 2013, and the government's move is linked to Iraq's official stance on Israel, since a law passed by the Council of Representatives in 2022 criminalizes any political, economic or cultural relations with it.

On October 22, 2026, the minister said during an Internet governance forum in Baghdad that "there is no ban on the Waze app," adding: "I have not retreated from banning Waze, and there will be alternative apps." He explained that young Iraqis and local companies had submitted proposals to the ministry for map and traffic-monitoring applications.

Position of the Communications and Media Commission

By contrast, the Commission's chairman Baligh Abu Kallal said no decision to shut the app has been taken, and that banning any application requires a precise investigation and full procedures, confirming that "Waze" will remain available until it is decided upon. He added at the same forum that Iraq deals with Google and uses its services, and that banning part of its apps because of their founders' origins is unlikely, while supporting Iraqi developers to build local alternatives — a task he described as "not easy."

Thus far the picture appears to be a declared ministerial intention rather than an enforceable regulatory decision, amid a clear divergence between the ministry and the sector regulator.

Parliamentary and public reactions

MP Mona Suwadi, a member of the Parliamentary Transport and Communications Committee, urged the ministry not to rush, saying national security is a priority but protecting citizens' interests and the continuity of their work is equally important. She noted the committee had received appeals from delivery companies and entities that rely on the app to organize their operations and determine routes, and called for clarification of the technical and security justifications and searching for alternatives before any final decision. The announcement also provoked a wide wave of comments on social media, which the minister himself acknowledged when he linked changing the timing to citizens' reactions.

Why Iraqis rely on Waze

Waze depends on reports from millions of drivers moment by moment about congestion, accidents, closures and diversions, and it recalculates routes automatically to avoid them. In cities like Baghdad, where congestion consumes hours of a civil servant's or taxi driver's day, the app has become a daily work tool for taxi drivers and delivery and transport companies, as well as in directing ambulances, emergency vehicles, and travelers between provinces. Any sudden interruption means longer time on the road, more fuel, and higher operating costs that ultimately pass to the consumer.

Constructive critique of the decision process

There is no dispute over the state's right to protect its citizens' data and security, nor over the importance of supporting Iraqi programming talent. But the way the file has been handled raises points that deserve review:

• The legal basis is unclear: No official document has yet been published that specifies the legal basis for the ban, its implementation mechanism, whether it would include the Kurdistan Region, or which authority is competent to issue it.
• Setting the date instead of consulting: Moving the date from early 2027 to the end of December after criticism gave an impression of escalation, whereas opening consultation with those affected would have been more appropriate.
• The alternative should precede the ban, not follow it: A successful navigation app needs an accurate geographic database, a continuously updated road network, routing systems, and live movement and incident data — a system built in years, not weeks.
• Data protection must cover more than one app: If the aim is to protect location data, other widely used apps collect similar data, making unified rules to protect data across all apps more effective than blocking a single app.

Risks of a ban to the digital economy

Experiences of app blocking in several countries show users quickly turn to virtual private networks (VPNs), so the blocked app continues to be used in practice while the state loses the ability to regulate and monitor, and users are exposed to intermediary apps of unknown provenance that may be more dangerous to their data. Sudden decisions in the digital sector also send a worrying signal to investors and tech startups that build services on global platforms, at a time when Iraq seeks digital transformation and investment.

Countries that chose regulation over blocking

In France, the legislator addressed the issue of alerting to checkpoints through regulation rather than a ban. The Mobility Law issued in December 2019 and its implementing decree of April 2021 allowed prefects and the interior minister to ask navigation apps, including Waze, to temporarily hide locations of specified types of checkpoints for a period not exceeding two hours for sobriety and drug tests and 12 hours for other checkpoints linked to serious crimes, terrorism, or kidnapping, and within a defined geographic scope. Companies in breach face penalties of up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine. The French interior ministry prepared this mechanism in consultation with navigation companies themselves, and the French Constitutional Council affirmed its constitutionality in November 2021. (Official statement of the French government)

On the partnership side, the free "Waze for Cities" program allows municipalities and traffic authorities to exchange data with the app: government bodies provide the app with closure, works and incident data, and in return receive anonymized traffic speed and congestion data to improve signal management and emergency response. The program page presents case studies from cities and authorities such as Ghent in Belgium, the Principality of Monaco, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Chicago in the United States. (Waze for Cities program page)

Practical recommendations for the Ministry of Communications

1. Negotiate with the owning company before blocking: If checkpoints and security roadblocks are the concern, the ministry can demand they be hidden in Iraq from the app, similar to the French mechanism — a technical and tested request.
2. Join the Waze for Cities program: The General Traffic Directorate, the Baghdad Secretariat, and local governments can obtain congestion data for free and feed the app with official closure and diversion data, serving drivers and ambulances alike.
3. A clear legal framework: Issue written regulations that define when and how any app may be blocked, the authority empowered to do so, and the appeals process, in coordination with the Communications and Media Commission as the sector regulator.
4. A personal data protection law: Require all apps, local and foreign, to meet unified standards in collecting and storing location data, instead of treating each app individually.
5. Public consultation with those affected: Involve delivery and transport companies, drivers' unions, tech experts and the Parliamentary Transport and Communications Committee before any decision.
6. A real local alternative first: Supporting Iraqi apps is positive, but it is preferable that they be launched, tested and proven competitive on the ground; if they succeed they will attract users without the need for a ban, which is what the minister himself predicted when he said the appearance of alternatives would weaken Waze's use.

Conclusion

The stated objective of the minister — enhancing digital sovereignty and encouraging Iraqi talent — is legitimate and deserves support. But the path to it is shorter and less costly through regulation, negotiation, legislation and building a competitive alternative, not through a ban that may be paid for by citizens and the digital economy, while the app remains practically accessible to those using VPNs.