Waze Privacy Policy

DATED 2011-05-02 · VERSION 20120202_rev01 · COMPARED WITH 20090923_rev01 · ARCHIVE SNAPSHOT

Full text changes — 20090923_rev01 to 20120202_rev01

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+**Waze Privacy Policy**
+Waze - privacy policy
+Thank you for visiting the Waze Service and [www.waze.com](http://www.waze.com/) (the "Site").
+Waze Inc. respects your privacy. This policy explains the privacy practices of Waze Inc. ("Waze") on [www.Waze.com](http://www.waze.com/) (the "Website") and with respect to Waze's mobile application (the "Application") (Collectively will be referred to as "the Services"). It describes the ways Waze collects and uses your personal information and the rights and options available to you.
+The mission of Waze is to enable drivers and users to build updated maps and road information services to create a better driving experience for everyone.
+This policy is incorporated to the Waze's [Terms of Use](http://www.waze.com/legal/tos) (the "Terms of Use" or the "Terms").
+Your privacy is important to us. This privacy policy explains our information practices in connection with your personal information.
+Waze follows the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association ("CTIA")'s Best Practices and Guidelines for Location-Based Services. For a better understanding of CTIA's guidelines, please visit CTIA's website at: [www.ctia.org](http://www.ctia.org/).
+Please read the full terms of this Privacy Policy below, as they govern the privacy issues in connection with the Waze Service. For your convenience, here are some key points:
+The Services are not intended for use by persons under the age of 13. If you are under 13 years old, you may not download or use the Application, you may not use any feature of the Website that requires registration and you may not provide us with any of your personal details. Waze will not knowingly collect any personal information of persons under 13 years old.
+- You are not required to provide any personal information to use the Site.
+In this policy, the term 'personal information' means any information that may be used with reasonable efforts to identify you, such as a first and last name, home address, phone number and email addresses.
+- If you wish to use our software, the only personal information we require from you is a mobile phone number and email. We use the phone number to send you the link to the Waze software and then we delete it. We use the email to provide support and send product and service updates.
+Contact Waze / Abuse reports
+- You have the choice whether to provide additional personal information to us. We use that information to provide you personalized services, such as the shortest route between work and home, and improve our services to you.
+If you believe that your privacy has been compromised by any person, in the course of using the Services, then please contact Waze at: [privacy@waze.com](mailto:privacy@waze.com).
+- Your public profile will include information that does NOT personally identify you, such as your gender, age, city and state. You can delete this profile if you wish.
+You may send Waze other requests, responses, questions and complaints by contacting Waze at [support@waze.com](mailto:support@waze.com).
+- We may display information that does NOT personally identify you, such as your nickname, avatar, mood icon, and driving route and distance. You can turn this off from the mobile client and be totally anonymous.
+Personal information that you provide
+- The Waze Service is for those over 13.
+When you register with the Services, Waze may ask you to provide certain contact and personal details, such as mobile device number and e-mail address. Bear in mind that false, incorrect, or out dated information may impair Waze's ability to provide you with the Services and to contact you when necessary. Waze will explicitly indicate the fields for mandatory completion. If you do not enter the requisite data in these fields, you may not be able to register with the Services.
+This Privacy Policy forms part of the Terms of Use, available at [www.waze.com/terms](http://www.waze.com/terms). The "Waze Service" shall mean the Site, the software provided for download through the Site and any related servers.
+Your may create your personal profile on the Services. Your profile will be available to other users and will include information that does not personally identify you, such as your gender, age, city and state. At all times you may delete the profile in whole, or remove or change certain details.
+## **SAFETY WARNING**
+You may also provide additional personal information that will be used to personalize the Services, for example by providing you the shortest route between work and home, and enhance your experience with the Services.
+## AT WAZE, SAFETY COMES FIRST. PLEASE USE THE WAZE SERVICE SAFELY. PLEASE USE THE WAZE SERVICE ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT IT DOES NOT DISTRACT YOU FROM DRIVING. FOCUS ALL YOUR ATTENTION ON THE ROA**D AND YOUR DRIVING.**
+Further information, such as your waze rank, waze points amount, nickname, avatar, mood icon, driving route and distance may be used and shared with other users, when you use the Application. At all times, except for your waze rank and waze points that cannot be turned off, you can turn the transmission of all other details off and share no details at all.
+**Introduction**
+Further information may be collected when Waze exchange communications with you, for example, if you submit a request, contact Waze's support team, or report a violation to the abuse team.
+"Personal Information" means any information that may be used to identify you, such as a first and last name, a home, work or other physical address, phone number, email address, date of birth, car information, and information about your yourself, such as your driving routes.
+Personal information that you share
+We do not require you to provide Personal Information to use the Waze Service. However, for certain services, you must create an account ("Account") and provide us with your mobile phone number and an email. We use your phone number to send you a text message containing a link to download software and including a nickname and password. We then delete your phone number. We encourage you to personalize your Account by changing your password, and changing your nickname to one that does not identify you personally.
+The Services are based on users' locations and submissions that may include certain personal information. You may upload and share content such as traffic reports with other users of the Services. The content that you submit is not private or confidential and you should not have any expectation of privacy with respect to it. You must exercise caution and common sense when submitting information that may personally identify you or others. At the very least you should demonstrate the same degree of caution as when publishing personal information by means other than the Internet and cellular services.
+**The Way We Use Personal Information**
+You have the control over the content that you wish to submit to the Services. However the content that you upload may be available to other users of the Service and to Waze. Some of the content that you share, for example in a forum feed or blog post on the Website, may be viewed by all Internet users.
+You are not required to submit any Personal Information to us. If you do choose to submit Personal Information to us, then we will use it to send you updates, to improve our services to you, recommend the shortest routes between work and home, to contact you and to authenticate your access to our services.
+Location based information that we collect
+## If you provide us Personal Information such as your driving routes and your address, this will be privately accessible only to you on the Site and in some cases on the mobile client. Your public profile will include information that does NOT personally identify you, such as your gender, age, city and state. You can delete this profile if you wish.
+When you use your mobile device with a copy of the Application installed, Waze collects your location information. Waze uses that information to provide you and other users with the Services. Waze may make further use of your location information by providing you information about sites, shops and other places and attractions in your close vicinity.
+We may display information that does NOT personally identify you, such as your nickname, avatar, mood icon, and driving route and distance. You can turn this off from the mobile client and be totally anonymous.
+Waze may also use your location information to create aggregated anonymous data and to use such data in accordance with this policy (please refer to use of aggregated information chapter hereunder). Waze will make commercially reasonable efforts to permanently remove or obscure your identity from your location information that is used for aggregated purposes.
+We may provide aggregate information, which is NOT personally identifiable, to third parties.
+Opting out of location information services by uninstalling the Application
+We may also use your email address to send updates, a newsletter or news regarding our services.
+At all times you may uninstall the Application, by using the Application's uninstall option, or by using the programs removal feature of your operating system. Following the uninstallation process, Waze will not be able to collect any further location based information from you, or provide you with location based information about sites, shops and other places and attractions in your close vicinity.
+Finally, we may disclose your Personal Information if we have a good faith belief that disclosure of such information is helpful or reasonably necessary to (i) comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, (ii) enforce our Terms of Use including investigations of potential violations thereof, (iii) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or (iv) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of Waze, its users, yourself or the public.
+Meta-data that we collect
+**Cookies**
+Waze collects information about the use of the Services. For example, Waze may record the frequency and scope of your use of the Services, the duration of your sessions, the web pages that you visit, information that you read, content that you use or create, advertisements that you view or click on, your communications with other users and third parties, the Internet protocol (IP) address and the name of the domain that serve you to access the Services, and the geographic location of the computer system that you are using to log-in. Such data is usually automatically collected and stored in log files of the Services' computer servers.
+Our Waze Service may use "cookies" and other tracking technologies to recall your Personal Information and provide you a personalized experience. A "cookie" is a small text file that may be used, for example, to collect information about Waze Service activity.
+Username and Password
+You may set most browsers to notify you if you receive a cookie, or you may choose to block cookies with your browser.
+To login, you must use your username and password that Waze allocated to you, or that you have selected. Waze may also establish and require from time to time additional or different means of identification and authentication for logging in and accessing the Services or for accessing certain features or designated sections of the Services.
+**Collection of Information by Third-Party Sites**
+Your log-in details are your responsibility. You are fully accountable for any use or misuse of your account and personal details as a result of conveying your details to someone else. You must maintain your log-in details in absolute confidentiality and avoid disclosing them to others. Make sure that you change your password frequently and at least once every six months.
+The Waze Service may use a reputable third party to serve advertisements on the Waze Service. These third parties will often serve geographically or contextually targeted ads. They are subject to their own privacy policies and are not covered by our Privacy Policy.
+What does Waze do with your personally identifiable information?
+**Links to Other Sites**
+Waze may use your personally identifiable information for the following purposes only:
+The Waze Service may contain links to other sites. Other sites may also link to our Site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other sites.
+. to provide the Services and to enable you to use the Services. For example, Waze may use the phone number that you provide to send you preferable driving routes and other recommendations, and to send you a text message containing a link to download the Application and to provide you with your preliminary username and password;
+. to operate the Services and to improve and customize your experience with the Services, as well as the experience of other users;
+. to provide you with support and handle request and complaints;
+. to send you updates, notices, announcements, and additional information related to the Services;
+. to send you marketing and advertising material through e-mail messages, subject to your prior indication of consent. At any time you may opt out of the Services' mailing lists, by changing your preferences in your personal account or by sending Waze a written notice to: [support@waze.com](mailto:support@waze.com). In any case, Waze will not knowingly share your personal identifiable details with any advertisers, without your explicit consent;
+. to conduct surveys and questionnaires;
+. to share your submissions with other users of the Services and to facilitate communication between you, Waze and other users;
+. to enforce the Terms of Use;
+. to contact you when Waze believes it to be necessary;
+. to comply with any applicable law and assist law enforcement agencies under any applicable law, when Waze has a good faith belief that Waze's cooperation with the law enforcement agencies is legally mandated or meets the applicable legal standards;
+. to prevent fraud, misappropriation, infringements, identity theft and other illegal activities and misuse of the Services;
+. To handle breakdowns and malfunctions;
+. to take any action in any case of dispute, or legal proceeding of any kind between you and the Service, or between you and other users or third parties with respect to, or in relation with the Service;
+. For purposes provided under this policy and the Terms of Use.
+**Children's Privacy**
+Sharing information with others
+The Waze Service is not structured to attract children under the age of 13. Accordingly, we do not intend to collect Personal Information from anyone we know to be under 13 years of age.
+Waze does not sell, rent or lease your personally identifiable information to third parties for any of their marketing purposes.
+**Merger, Sale or Bankruptcy**
+Waze does not disclose your location information, without your consent, except when it is necessary to facilitate the functionality of the Services, to provide you with the Services, to prevent imminent harm, or when Waze is required under the law to disclose the information.
+In the event that Waze is acquired by or merged with a third party, we may transfer the information we have collected from our users as part of such transaction. In the event of our bankruptcy or similar events, we may not be able to control how your Personal Information is used.
+Waze will not share your personally identifiable information with others, without your consent, except for the following purposes and to the extent necessary in Waze's good-faith discretion:
+**Commitment**
+. When you use the Services, when you take part in content-related activities and when it is necessary to facilitate the functionality of the Services.;
+. If Waze reasonably believes that you have breached the Terms of Use, or abused your rights to use the Services, or performed any act or omission that Waze reasonably believes to be violating any applicable law, rules, or regulations. Waze may share your information in these cases, with law enforcement agencies and other competent authorities and with any third party as may be required to handle any result of your wrongdoing;
+. If Waze is required, or reasonably believes that it is required by law to share or disclose your information;
+. In any case of dispute, or legal proceeding of any kind between you and Waze, or between you and other users with respect to, or in relation with the Services;
+. In any case where Waze reasonably believes that sharing information is necessary to prevent imminent physical damage or damage to property;
+. If Waze organizes the operation of the Services within a different framework, or through another legal structure or entity, or if Waze is acquired by, or merged into or with another entity, or if Waze enters bankruptcy, provided however, that those entities agree to be bound by the provisions of this policy, with respective changes taken into consideration;
+. Waze may also share personally identifiable information with companies or organizations connected, or affiliated with Waze, such as subsidiaries, sister-companies and parent companies, and other partners, with the express provision that their use of such information must comply with this policy.
+We are committed to protecting your privacy. Protecting your privacy online is an evolving area, and the Waze Service is constantly evolving to meet these demands. If you have any comments or questions regarding our Privacy Policy, please contact us at [privacy@waze.com](mailto:privacy@waze.com). **While we cannot guarantee privacy perfection, we will address any issue to the best of our abilities.**
+### Accessing your personal information
+**Your Consent**
+At any time you may access your account on the Services and remove, edit, or amend your personal information, including your stored traffic routes. If you find that the information on your account is not accurate, complete or updated, than you must make all necessary changes to correct it. Please keep in mind that false, incorrect, or outdated information may prevent you from registering with the Services and impair the ability to provide you with Services.
+By using the Waze Service, you consent to the terms of our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Policy, please do not use the Waze Service. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change this Policy at any time. Your continued use of the Waze Service following the posting of changes to these terms means you accept these changes.
+How does Waze use aggregated information?
+Last modified: August 4th, 2009
+Waze may use anonymous, statistical or aggregated information to properly operate the Services, to improve the quality of the Services, to enhance your experience, to create new services and features, including customized services, to change or cancel existing content or service, and for further internal, commercial and statistical purposes.
+Waze may also use anonymous, statistical or aggregated information collected on the Services, by posting, disseminating, transmitting or otherwise communicating or making available such information to users of the Services, to the Services' providers, partners and any other third party.
+Data retention
+Waze does not retain location information longer than required to provide the Services and for reasonable business needs. Thereafter or following six months from your last log-in to the Services, whichever is longer, your location information will be anonymized.
+Waze may at all times review, retain and disclose any other information as Waze deems necessary to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request and Waze's needs and necessities. By doing so Waze does not either expressly or impliedly endorse, affirm or in any manner assume any responsibility for such communications.
+Cookies
+Waze may use cookies on the Services. Cookies are packets of information sent by the Website's servers to your web browser and then sent back by the browser each time it accesses the Website's servers.
+The cookies may contain a variety of information, such as the content of search queries, the Website's pages you have accessed, session durations and IP addresses.
+Waze may use cookies for various purposes, such as to save you the need to re-enter your username and password each time you log-in, to facilitate the use of the Website, to collect statistical information, to verify information, and to customize the Website to your personal preferences and for information security purposes.
+Some of the cookies may expire when the session ends and you exit your browser. Other cookies are saved on your computer's hard drive. If you wish to block the Website's cookies, then please use the help button in your browser and follow the necessary instructions. However, bear in mind that disabling cookies may complicate or even prevent your use of the Website, or certain features thereof.
+Advertising campaigns
+Waze may permit, solicit or contract certain other companies to conduct advertising campaigns on the Services. The advertisements that you see when accessing the Services are redirected from the servers of those advertising companies and may be geographically or contextually targeted. Some advertisers may use cookies on your computer. The cookies enable them to collect information about sections and features that you have accessed, advertisements posted on those sites and the advertisements that you have viewed. In this manner advertisers try to customize advertisements to your preferences and for their own business purposes. The advertisers' use of cookies is subject to their own privacy policies and not to this Policy. If you wish to study the privacy policies of those advertisers you should visit their services, or contact them directly.
+Information Security
+Waze considers information security to be a top priority. Waze implements systems, applications and procedures to secure your personal information, to minimize the risks of theft, damage, loss of information, or unauthorized access or use of information. However, these measures are unable to provide absolute assurance. Therefore, although Waze takes great efforts to protect your personal information, Waze cannot guarantee and you cannot reasonably expect that the Waze's databases will be immune from any wrongdoings, malfunctions, unlawful interceptions or access, or other kinds of abuse and misuse.
+Changes to this Privacy Policy
+Waze may from time to time change the terms of this policy. Substantial changes will take effect 30 days after Waze has posted an initial notification on the Website's homepage or any other relevant web pages on the Website, with respect to such changes. Other changes will take effect 7 days after their initial posting on the Website, unless Waze amends this policy to comply with legal requirements. In such cases the amendments will become effective immediately upon their initial posting, or as required.
+You agree to be bound by any of the changes made in the terms of this policy. Continuing to use the Services will indicate your acceptance of the amended terms. If you do not agree with any of the amended terms, you must avoid any further use of the Services.
+Last modified: 2 May 2011