Waze Terms of Use — Waze

10 Total

5 High severity

5 Medium severity

0 Low severity

Summary

This document sets the rules for using the Waze app and website. By using Waze, you give the company broad rights to use your location data, driving information, and any content you contribute — and you agree to resolve disputes through arbitration rather than in court. If you are a US user, you have 30 days from first use to opt out of mandatory arbitration in writing.

Technical Summary

Waze's Terms of Use govern the use of the Waze mobile application and website (waze.com), collectively referred to as 'Services.' The document establishes user eligibility requirements (minimum age 16, or parental consent for ages 16-18), grants Waze a broad, irrevocable, royalty-free license to user-submitted content including location data, driving behavior, and community contributions. It contains a mandatory arbitration clause with class action waiver for US users (with a 30-day opt-out window), limits Waze's liability to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and explicitly reserves the right to modify services or terms at any time. The document is governed by California law for US users and Israeli law for non-US users, with dispute resolution through binding arbitration administered by JAMS.

Institutional Analysis

This document engages GDPR (for EU/EEA users), CCPA (for California residents), and COPPA/age-restriction considerations given the minimum age of 16. The broad intellectual property license over user-generated content and location data raises significant data minimization and purpose limitation con…

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Evidence Provenance

Captured March 23, 2026 06:16 UTC

Document ID CA-D-000322

Version ID CA-V-000281

Source URL https://www.waze.com/legal/tos

Wayback Machine View archived versions →

SHA-256 3092e2ce0599a61546a14f94f7a8cb0d4197904c4dddb9c8998d288cf24eb6fe

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Text extracted ✓ Change verified ✓ Cryptographically signed

Change Timeline

March 23, 2026 — Document updated high

On March 23, 2026, Waze removed a large portion of its Terms of Use, including key introductory language that explained the legal agreement, identified Waze's corporate entity and location, and referenced the Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy. Before this update, users were clearly told who they were contracting with, where the company is located, and that by using the service they were agreeing to multiple linked policies. Now, much of that foundational context and transparency has been stripped out, leaving users with less clarity about their legal relationship with Waze.

· 159 removed
View changes → View record →
3092e2ce…
March 19, 2026 — Initial capture

First snapshot archived

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Analyzed Changes

1 change analyzed since monitoring began.

Updated March 23, 2026

high

What changed Waze updated their Waze Terms of Use on March 23, 2026. Change detected: 159 sentence(s) removed. Document contained 175 sentences after update.

Consumer impact Waze has removed critical introductory terms that identified the company users were contracting with, its legal registration details, and explicit references to the Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy. This means users now have less transparency about who is responsible for the service and what policies govern their use. You can visit the Waze website directly to check for any updated or separate policy documents that may replace the removed content.

Why it matters Users of Waze no longer have clear in-document disclosure of who they are legally contracting with or what policies govern their data and content rights. This removal significantly reduces the transparency users are entitled to under GDPR, EU consumer law, and other global data protection frameworks.

High Severity — 5 provisions

Mandatory Arbitration Clause
US users must resolve all disputes with Waze through binding arbitration rather than in court, administered by JAMS under its rules. This means you cannot take Waze to court or participate in a class action lawsuit unless you opt out within 30 days.

Added March 20, 2026
Broad User Content License
When you submit any content to Waze — including map edits, reports, photos, or comments — you grant Waze a worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use, modify, distribute, and commercialize that content in any way, forever.

Added March 20, 2026
Location and Driving Data Collection
Waze collects and uses your real-time GPS location, driving speed, routes, and driving behavior as part of using the service. This data is used to power navigation features and may be shared with third parties including Google.

Added March 20, 2026
Class Action Waiver
By using Waze, US users agree not to participate in any class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration against the company. All disputes must be handled individually.

Added March 20, 2026
Limitation of Liability
Waze limits its financial responsibility for any harm caused to users to the maximum extent permitted by law. In most cases, this means Waze cannot be held liable for damages resulting from use of the app, including navigation errors.

Added March 20, 2026

Medium Severity — 5 provisions

Unilateral Right to Modify Terms
Waze can change these Terms of Use at any time. Notice of changes may be provided through the app or website, and continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the new terms.

Added March 20, 2026
Age Restriction and Parental Consent
Waze requires users to be at least 16 years old. Users between 16 and 18 must have parental or guardian consent to use the service.

Added March 20, 2026
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
For US users, these terms are governed by California law. For users outside the US, Israeli law applies. Disputes are resolved in courts located in California (US) or Tel Aviv (non-US) unless arbitration applies.

Added March 20, 2026
Account Termination and Suspension
Waze reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for any reason including violation of these terms. Waze may also discontinue the service entirely.

Added March 20, 2026
Indemnification Obligation
By using Waze, you agree to defend and pay for any legal costs Waze incurs as a result of your use of the service, including if you violate these terms or infringe on third-party rights.

Added March 20, 2026