THE government's directive banning civil servants from using the navigation app Waze has been explained mainly by the app's Israeli links. Beneath that explanation lies a legal question that deserves airing.
Tapping "agree" on Waze means contracting with an Israeli-incorporated entity, not Google Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Google has a local company that Malaysian regulators can summon. Waze, apparently, has no Malaysian office or staff. Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) reaches foreign entities only in limited circumstances. Enforcing it against one with no local presence is difficult in practice, a genuine accountability gap.
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