Provision record
Waze · Waze Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

Advertising Profiling and Personalization

High severity Common · 279 of 352 platforms
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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 Jul 9, 2026

The updated policy now applies to users of any age by removing the prior 16+ requirement, but does not explicitly state whether parental consent is required for minors. The policy defines Personal Information more broadly to include location, route information, and data reasonably linked to you by Waze. The company removed documentation of the 'find friends' feature that previously collected phone numbers from device contacts, suggesting that feature is no longer active or has been redesigned. Privacy controls remain available through in-app settings where you can adjust which Personal Information Waze collects and how it is used.

View change record →

Clause Stability Mostly Stable

1
Change
5
Months Monitored
Apr 3, 2026
First Seen
Apr 17, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 3334 other provisions on other platforms.
This clause has changed once in 5 months of monitoring.

Change history

removed Jul 9, 2026

Removal of high-severity provision on advertising profiling means explicit safeguards regarding personalized ad targeting practices are no longer independently documented in the policy structure.

View full 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

Lyft Medium

To grow the Lyft Platform and to share partner opportunities that are relevant to you, we use your personal information, including information we infer about you or receive from marketing parties, to provide Lyft and third party marketing, advertising, and promotions...

Glassdoor Medium

We may use your searches and other activities on and off our services (including activities conducted on our affiliates' services or your interactions with ads) to personalize your experience and the jobs we show and recommend to you.

Microsoft Medium

We do not use what you say in email, chat, video calls or voice mail, or your documents, photos or other personal files, to target advertising to you.

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ 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 Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (regulatory & 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 …

Insight

Unlock the full institutional analysis

Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.

Applicable agencies

  • Federal Trade Commission (ftc)
    Oversees unfair or deceptive business practices and can investigate companies that mislead consumers about data collection, sharing, or use.
    Who can file: Anyone affected by the company's practices (US or international)
    What you need: Your account details, a timeline of relevant events, and a description of the specific issue
    What to expect: Complaints inform FTC enforcement priorities and investigations but do not result in individual resolution or compensation
    File a complaint →
  • State Attorney General
    State AGs in California, New York, Texas, and other states can investigate violations of state consumer protection and privacy laws, including CCPA (California), SHIELD Act (New York), and equivalents.
    Who can file: Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws — primarily California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah
    What you need: Evidence of the violation, explanation of how your state rights were affected, and your account or contact information with the company
    What to expect: Outcomes vary by state. May result in investigation, enforcement action, or requirement for the company to change practices. No direct individual compensation in most cases.

    Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" to find your state's direct complaint form

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/provision/CA-P-001587/advertising-profiling-and-personalization/
Accessed: Sept. 8, 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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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.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 279 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.