The National Security Council (MKN) has clarified that Google Maps is exempt from the government’s recent restriction on civil servants using Waze for official duties. Despite both navigation apps being owned by Google, the council said they are treated differently due to differences in their respective legal jurisdictions.
In a statement, MKN said Google Maps is based in the United States and subject to US law. This differs from Waze, whose data controller is incorporated in Israel and whose terms of use place disputes under Israeli law and the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Tel Aviv. The council said this distinction was a key consideration in the government’s decision, which it framed around protecting users’ data and national information sovereignty rather than the origin of a technology alone.
