Waze · Waze Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Data Retention at Operational Discretion

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 325 platforms
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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 provision grants operational discretion to Waze in determining retention timelines across different data categories, subject to legal compliance and stated purposes. This framework allows the entity to maintain data according to functional necessity rather than fixed deletion schedules.

Interpretive note: The policy's use of discretionary language ('as long as necessary') without specifying periods for most data categories creates interpretive uncertainty about whether this satisfies GDPR's storage limitation documentation requirements.

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)

Users' personal data will be retained according to Waze's assessment of necessity for service delivery and legal compliance obligations, with retention periods varying by data type and purpose. The terms do not establish specific deletion timelines, instead authorizing retention based on operational and legal requirements.

How other platforms handle this

WhatsApp Medium

We store information until it is no longer necessary to provide our services and WhatsApp Products, or until your account is deleted or becomes inactive, whichever comes first. This is a case-by-case determination that depends on things like the nature of the information, why it is collected and pro...

Roblox Medium

You may request deletion of your account at any time. When you request account deletion, we will delete or anonymize your personal information unless we are required to retain it by law, or unless we need to retain it for legitimate business purposes such as resolving disputes, enforcing our agreeme...

OpenAI Medium

We'll retain your Personal Data for only as long as we need in order to provide our Services to you, or for other legitimate business purposes such as resolving disputes, safety and security reasons, or complying with our legal obligations. How long we retain Personal Data will depend on a number of...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to provide our services, fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. The specific retention period for each category of personal data depends on the purpose for which it is collected and applicable legal requirements.

— Excerpt from Waze's Waze Privacy Policy

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN

Provision details

Document information
Document
Waze Privacy Policy
Entity
Waze
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 11, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-010775
Document ID
CA-D-00323
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
20ecc6f25312a12f14c0e0f1ef34ac6de707e4dff155d666a54730feec8142c3
Analysis generated
May 11, 2026 22:53 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Waze
Document: Waze Privacy Policy
Record ID: CA-P-010775
Captured: 2026-05-11 22:53:58 UTC
SHA-256: 20ecc6f25312a12f…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/waze/waze-privacy-policy/data-retention-at-operational-discretion/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Waze's Data Retention at Operational Discretion clause do?

The provision grants operational discretion to Waze in determining retention timelines across different data categories, subject to legal compliance and stated purposes. This framework allows the entity to maintain data according to functional necessity rather than fixed deletion schedules.

How does this clause affect you?

Users' personal data will be retained according to Waze's assessment of necessity for service delivery and legal compliance obligations, with retention periods varying by data type and purpose. The terms do not establish specific deletion timelines, instead authorizing retention based on operational and legal requirements.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Waze?

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