Waze · Waze Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Cross-Border Data Transfers

Medium severity Common · 78 of 325 platforms
Share 𝕏 Share in Share 🔒 PDF
Monitor governance changes for Waze Create a free account to receive the weekly governance digest and monitor one platform for governance changes.
Create free account No credit card required.
Document Record

What it is

Waze may transfer your personal data to countries outside your own, including to the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your home country.

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 scope for personal data infrastructure by permitting Waze to utilize distributed data storage and processing across multiple geographic jurisdictions as part of standard business operations, including reliance on third-party service providers.

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)

EU and UK users' data is transferred internationally, which may reduce the practical protections available to them under GDPR unless adequate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses are in place.

How other platforms handle this

Roblox Medium

Roblox is based in the United States, and your personal information may be transferred to and processed in the United States or other countries where Roblox or its service providers operate. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from the laws of your home country. By using the Ro...

Uber Medium

Uber operates globally and may transfer the personal data of drivers and delivery people to countries other than the country in which they reside. These countries may have different and less protective data protection laws than those of your country of residence. Uber uses standard contractual claus...

Shopify Medium

Shopify is a global business. We may transfer your personal information to countries other than the country in which it was originally collected, including to Canada and the United States where our servers are located. These countries may not have the same data protection laws as your country. When ...

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

Waze has changed this document before.

Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.

Start Watcher free trial Or create a free account →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
To collect, store, hold and manage your personal information through cloud based or hosting services or a third party or a party affiliated or connected to Waze, as reasonable for business purposes, which may be located in the European Union and the U.S.A., potentially countries outside of your jurisdiction.

— Excerpt from Waze's Waze Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

Cross-border data transfers from the EEA/UK to the US must comply with GDPR Chapter V requirements, including reliance on adequacy decisions, SCCs, or other approved transfer mechanisms; legal teams should verify that Waze's transfer impact assessments and SCCs are current and compliant post-Schrems II.

Full compliance analysis

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

Track 1 platform — free Try Watcher free for 14 days

Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.

Applicable agencies

  • State AG
    State attorneys general in jurisdictions with comprehensive privacy laws (e.g., California) may have authority over international data transfer practices affecting residents.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
VPPA
United States Federal

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-001590
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-001590
Captured: 2026-03-20 06:31:53 UTC
SHA-256: 45803b11348d42f6…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/waze/waze-privacy-policy/cross-border-data-transfers/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

Other risks in this policy

Related Analysis

Professional Governance Intelligence

Need to monitor specific governance provisions?

Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.

Arbitration clauses AI governance Data rights Indemnification Retention policies
Start Professional free trial

Or start with Watcher →

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Waze's Cross-Border Data Transfers clause do?

The clause establishes the operational scope for personal data infrastructure by permitting Waze to utilize distributed data storage and processing across multiple geographic jurisdictions as part of standard business operations, including reliance on third-party service providers.

How does this clause affect you?

EU and UK users' data is transferred internationally, which may reduce the practical protections available to them under GDPR unless adequate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses are in place.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 78 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Waze?

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