WHAT THE POLICIES SAY

Waze is a crowdsourced navigation app operated by Waze Mobile Limited, a Google-owned entity under SEC-reporting Alphabet Inc. The service is location-by-design: its privacy policy (8 July 2026) states GPS and sensor location and route data are collected with timestamps and IP address and saved to a route history of all journeys, and that, depending on settings, location may be collected even when the app is not in use. In-app ads are selected by Google's advertising technology and targeted on current location, route, and destination, and the policy permits sharing personal information across the Google group of companies. It states Waze does not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA and documents in-app account deletion. History includes 2019 law-enforcement demands over DWI-checkpoint reports and a 2020 API flaw patched after a bug-bounty report.

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Waze's Apple App Store privacy label, as declared by developer Waze Inc., lists data 'linked to you' — including Precise Location, Coarse Location, Search History, Identifiers (User ID), and Usage Data — collected and used for purposes including Third-Party Advertising; the label shows no 'Data Used to Track You' section.

apps.apple.com ↗

[2026-07-08] · COLLECTION

The Waze Privacy Policy (last modified 8 July 2026) states that detailed location, travel, and route information is collected via GPS and other device sensors, combined with a timestamp and IP address, and saved to a route history of all journeys made while using the app; it further states that, depending on device and account settings, Waze 'may collect information about your location and travel (or lack thereof) even when you are not using the app.' The same policy documents an in-app 'Delete Account' function, with deletion from storage systems generally taking around 2 months from the request.

web.archive.org ↗

[2022-12-07] · OWNERSHIP TRANSPARENCY

TechCrunch reported on 7 December 2022 that Google, which acquired Waze in 2013, merged Waze's roughly 500-person team into Google's Geo organization (which oversees Maps, Earth, and Street View), and that Google said it plans to keep Waze as a standalone service.

techcrunch.com ↗

[2026-02-05] · OWNERSHIP TRANSPARENCY

Waze's ultimate parent, Alphabet Inc., is an SEC-reporting public company: Alphabet's Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 (filed 5 February 2026) describes Alphabet as a collection of businesses, the largest of which is Google, reported in the Google Services and Google Cloud segments. The Waze Privacy Policy separately identifies the operating entity as Waze Mobile Limited, a Google-owned company.

sec.gov ↗

[2023-08-01] · SHARING

The Waze Privacy Policy in effect as of 1 August 2023 (archived) stated that Waze works with Google advertising services such as Google Display and Video 360 and may share information with those services, including a unique advertising identifier, to help advertisers decide what ads to show on Waze, Google, and Google-partnered websites and apps.

web.archive.org ↗

[2026-07-08] · SHARING

The Waze Privacy Policy (last modified 8 July 2026) states that Waze is a Google-owned entity and permits sharing Personal Information with Google affiliates across the Google group of companies, including sharing de-identified account, location, and route data with other Google mapping and navigation products; the same policy states that 'Waze does not sell your personal information' and does not 'share' it as that term is defined in the CCPA, and that Waze will not share users' contact details with advertisers unless permitted or required by law.

web.archive.org ↗

[2019-02-06] · TRACK RECORD

On 6 February 2019, CNBC reported that the New York Police Department sent Google a letter demanding removal of crowdsourced DWI-checkpoint reporting from Waze, with the NYPD's acting deputy commissioner for legal matters calling the sharing of checkpoint locations 'irresponsible'; Google responded that informing drivers about upcoming speed traps promotes safer driving, and the feature was not removed.

cnbc.com ↗

[2020-10-19] · TRACK RECORD

In October 2020, Infosecurity Magazine reported that security engineer Peter Gasper discovered a Waze API vulnerability that allowed requesting the coordinates and unique identifiers of nearby drivers, enabling users to be tracked and identified; Gasper reported it through the bug-bounty process, received a $1,337 reward, and the flaw was patched.

infosecurity-magazine.com ↗

[2023-08-01] · TRACKING TECH

The Waze Privacy Policy in effect as of 1 August 2023 (archived) stated that Waze uses cookies, the Android Advertising ID or similar technologies, local storage, browser web storage, application data caches, databases, and server logs to collect and store information.

web.archive.org ↗

[2026-07-08] · TRACKING TECH

The Waze Privacy Policy (last modified 8 July 2026) states in its 'Ads on Waze' section that Waze 'utilizes Google's advertising technology to select and display these ads' and that ads may be shown based on the user's current activity, including approximate location, the general path of the route, and destination type; the policy also documents an in-app Ads personalization setting that turns off personalization but not ads.

web.archive.org ↗

LAST REVIEWED 2026-08-04 · METHODOLOGY v1.7