Waze · Waze Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Advertising Profiling and Personalization

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Document Record

What it is

Waze uses your location data, driving behavior, and usage information to show you personalized advertisements within the app.

This analysis describes what Waze's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The clause establishes the operational framework for ad targeting and identifies the data categories and external parties involved in the personalization mechanism. This defines how the service generates revenue through targeted advertising and specifies which internal and external entities participate in the data flow for ad purposes.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium May 5, 2026

The updated policy now explicitly discloses that Waze periodically collects all phone numbers stored on your device's contact book as part of the 'find friends' feature. According to the revised terms, these phone numbers are collected in a form that is initially anonymous to Waze and are used to help create a list of other Waze users you may know. The policy clarifies that names, addresses, and other contact information are not collected from your phone book, though such information may be saved locally on your device for local searches. Additionally, the updated terms now explicitly authorize connecting your Waze account to social network accounts and sharing profile information from those networks. You can control whether to use the 'find friends' feature and whether to connect social network accounts to your Waze account.

View change record →
Medium Apr 19, 2026

The updated policy removes explicit language describing how Waze collects phone numbers from device contact books and integrates social network accounts. Previously, the policy stated that Waze would 'periodically collect all of the phone numbers which are stored on your device's phone contacts book' and described how this information was used for the 'find friends' feature. The revised policy no longer includes these specific disclosures. This does not necessarily mean the practices have stopped, but it means the policy provides less transparency about what data Waze collects from your device and how it uses contact information. Users who relied on these detailed descriptions to understand Waze's data practices will find the updated policy less explicit on these points.

View change record →
Medium Mar 23, 2026

The updated privacy policy now explicitly discloses that Waze periodically collects all phone numbers stored in your device's contact book as part of the 'find friends' feature. According to the policy, this information is collected in an anonymous form to Waze and is used to identify other Waze users you may know. The terms also clarify that social network information can be shared with Waze and other users if you choose to connect your social network account. While the policy states that names, addresses, and other contact book information are not collected, some contact information may be saved locally on your device for local search purposes. You can control whether this feature operates by not using the 'find friends' feature or by not granting the app contact access through your device settings.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Your daily movements and driving habits are monetized by Waze to serve targeted ads, and opting out may require adjusting device-level advertising settings.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Delete Your Data
    Open the Waze app, go to Settings, then Privacy, and review options to limit ad personalization. Additionally, use your device's system settings to opt out of ad tracking (iOS: Privacy > Tracking; Android: Google Settings > Ads).

How other platforms handle this

Pinterest Medium

We infer information about you based on how you use Pinterest. For example, if you engage with Pins about travel, we may infer you are interested in travel. We use this information to provide more relevant recommendations and advertising. We may combine the information we collect about you with info...

Threads Medium

We use the information we have to deliver our Products, including to personalize features and content (including your For You feed, Stories, and ads) and make suggestions for you (such as groups or events you may be interested in or topics you may want to follow) on and off our Products.

Microsoft Medium

Microsoft uses the data we collect to provide you with rich, interactive experiences. In particular, we use data to: provide and improve our products; personalize your experiences; make recommendations and display advertising. For advertising, we use data collected through our advertising services i...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Depending on your settings, you may also see ads personalized to you based on: Information we received from you (for example, your saved "Home" & "Work" addresses), Past activity and search query history (for example, drives that appear in your drive list), Information from our ad partners, including entities that belong to the Google group of companies and other trusted ad partners.

— Excerpt from Waze's Waze Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

Advertising profiling based on location data requires a valid legal basis under GDPR (typically consent or legitimate interests with a balancing test) and must comply with ePrivacy Directive requirements in the EU; CCPA also grants California residents the right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information for advertising purposes.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC regulates unfair or deceptive advertising practices and has taken action against companies that use personal data for advertising without adequate disclosure or opt-out mechanisms.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    California residents have CCPA rights to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for advertising, enforceable by the California Attorney General and California Privacy Protection Agency.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union

Provision details

Document information
Document
Waze Privacy Policy
Entity
Waze
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 20, 2026
Last verified
March 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-001587
Document ID
CA-D-00323
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
45803b11348d42f651da909a5850166476a52159de02955f9255545a8fcd2247
Analysis generated
March 20, 2026 06:31 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Waze
Document: Waze Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-001587
Captured: 2026-03-20 06:31:53 UTC
SHA-256: 45803b11348d42f6…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/waze/waze-privacy-policy/advertising-profiling-and-personalization/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other risks in this policy

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Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Waze's Advertising Profiling and Personalization clause do?

The clause establishes the operational framework for ad targeting and identifies the data categories and external parties involved in the personalization mechanism. This defines how the service generates revenue through targeted advertising and specifies which internal and external entities participate in the data flow for ad purposes.

How does this clause affect you?

Your daily movements and driving habits are monetized by Waze to serve targeted ads, and opting out may require adjusting device-level advertising settings.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Waze?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Waze.