Waze · Waze Privacy Policy · View original document ↗

User-Generated Content and Community Data

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Document Record

What it is

When you report accidents, traffic, or other events in Waze, this content is shared with the Waze community and may be used to improve Waze services.

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 that the core functionality of the Services depends on a user community contributing personal and location data. This provision clarifies the data-sharing architecture that enables features like traffic reporting and location-based social connectivity.

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 in-app reports and community contributions are stored by Waze and associated with your account data, potentially revealing your location and routine to Waze and Google.

How other platforms handle this

Roblox Medium

Your use of the Services is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Services, you consent to the data collection and use practices described in the Privacy Policy. Roblox collects information you provide directly, information collected a...

Best Buy Medium

We collect information about you in a variety of ways depending on how you interact with us and our products and services. This includes information you provide directly, information we collect automatically when you use our services, and information we receive from third parties. We may collect ide...

Tabnine Medium

Tabnine may collect and use technical data and related information, including but not limited to technical information about your device, system and application software, and usage data regarding your use of the Services (including code completion statistics and plugin interaction data), to facilita...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
The Services are based on a community of users publicly sharing information with Waze and with other members of that community. In particular, users may choose to share personal information such as name, age, gender, picture, their location information, reports and other files. This information may be shared either directly to the Services and to all users, such as in the case of traffic reports, or just to your friends on Waze.

— Excerpt from Waze's Waze Privacy Policy

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

User-generated content that includes location data constitutes personal data under GDPR and CCPA; its storage, use for service improvement, and potential sharing with third parties requires clear disclosure and a valid processing basis.

Full compliance analysis

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

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC oversees whether companies clearly disclose how user-generated content is collected, stored, and used, and whether such practices are deceptive.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
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

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-001591
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-001591
Captured: 2026-03-20 06:31:53 UTC
SHA-256: 45803b11348d42f6…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/waze/waze-privacy-policy/user-generated-content-and-community-data/
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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Waze's User-Generated Content and Community Data clause do?

The clause establishes that the core functionality of the Services depends on a user community contributing personal and location data. This provision clarifies the data-sharing architecture that enables features like traffic reporting and location-based social connectivity.

How does this clause affect you?

Your in-app reports and community contributions are stored by Waze and associated with your account data, potentially revealing your location and routine to Waze and Google.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Waze?

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