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The policy states that Waze serves personalized ads using saved home and work addresses, drive history, search queries, and Google Account profile and activity, subject to user settings.
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
This provision establishes that precise location-derived data including home and work addresses and route history may be used for ad targeting, and that Google Account activity may additionally be incorporated into ad personalization where available based on device and account settings.
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of the 'find friends' feature that previously collected phone numbers from device contacts, suggesting that feature is no longer active or has been redesigned.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 →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 →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 →Under this clause, ads displayed in the Waze app may be personalized using saved addresses, past drives, and Google Account data. You can turn off ads personalization through the Waze in-app Privacy Settings under Ads personalization, and manage Google ads personalization through Google My Ad Center.
Cross-platform context
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"Depending on your settings, you may also see ads personalized to you based on: Information you have provided Waze (for example, your saved "Home" and "Work" addresses) Your past activity and search query history (for example, drives that appear in your drive list) If available based on your device and account settings, information from your Google Account profile and activity.Excerpt from Waze's Privacy Policy
1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Use of precise location data including home and work addresses for advertising purposes engages GDPR requirements for consent or clearly articulated legitimate interests, particularly given the sensitivity of location data. The policy states personalization is subject to user settings, implying a consent-based or opt-out mechanism, but the default state of personalization is not explicitly stated. The FTC has examined location-based advertising practices under its unfair and deceptive practices authority. EU data protection authorities have scrutinized the use of detailed location data for advertising targeting. 2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The policy discloses that personalized advertising uses home and work addresses and drive history, which constitutes sensitive location-derived data. The legal basis for this processing, whether consent or legitimate interests, is not explicitly specified for advertising purposes in the policy, which may create a documentation gap under GDPR and LGPD. 3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and UK users have rights under GDPR to object to processing for direct marketing purposes. California residents may have rights under applicable state privacy law regarding use of geolocation data for advertising. The policy's statement that sensitive categories including health and sexual orientation are not used for ad targeting provides a carve-out that may be relevant to GDPR special category data analysis. 4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Advertisers using Waze's platform should note that the policy states Waze will not share personally identifying information such as name or email with advertisers unless users request it, but that Google may share aggregated reporting metrics. This distinction is relevant to advertiser data agreements and measurement practices. 5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should review whether the opt-out mechanism for ads personalization satisfies GDPR and LGPD requirements for a valid and freely given control mechanism, whether the default state of personalization is disclosed, and whether the use of Google Account activity in Waze ad targeting creates a joint processing relationship requiring documentation.
This provision establishes that precise location-derived data including home and work addresses and route history may be used for ad targeting, and that Google Account activity may additionally be incorporated into ad personalization where available based on device and account settings.
Under this clause, ads displayed in the Waze app may be personalized using saved addresses, past drives, and Google Account data. You can turn off ads personalization through the Waze in-app Privacy Settings under Ads personalization, and manage Google ads personalization through Google My Ad Center.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Waze.