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Alert

Waze Now REQUIRES Access to Mobile Contacts!

Mar 5, 2015 10:13AM PST

In recent versions of the navigation app, Waze, you are required to release access to your full mobile Contact List in order to communicate with other drivers or add someone to your Waze Friends List. You are, therefore, releasing valuable information to Google about every person in your contacts list without their permission.

Google acquired ways in 2013 and in the current Waze Terms & Conditions it give Google the right to use the Contacts List as it wishes. This seems like Google's most intrusive action yet and is a gross violation of personal privacy.

information for whatever purpose it wishes.

Discussion is locked

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Since CIQ dug deep a few years back.
Mar 5, 2015 10:25AM PST

Why would we expect any data privacy?

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Waze Now REQUIRES Access to Mobile Contacts!
Mar 5, 2015 1:38PM PST

But, R, with Waze, Google is saying, not only do you have to give us your address, phone number, etc., you now have to give us the addresses and phone numbers of every person and you know (your full Contact List). it's one thing to be asked to give up your own privacy. It's another to be required to give up the privacy of everyone you know.

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Your data, your choices.
Mar 5, 2015 11:30PM PST
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contact list
Mar 6, 2015 3:30AM PST

you need to look at the app and see if there is a need for the contact list access. for example, can you say or type a name from the contact list and will it give you directions to their house? It has to have access to the whole list so It can search it to find the one person you want directions to. It is just like a file cabinet where you must go through folders to find the one you want. You got to have permission to open the file cabinet drawer full of files in order to get just one.

One thing to note, if your phone is android, most likely google already has your contact list Sad

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Waze Could Permit Far Less Intrusive Way to Designate App Fr
Mar 6, 2015 12:58PM PST

renegade600, my point is that there are far less intrusive ways to designate friends within the app. For instance, a user could enter a potential friend's email or cell phone number to add him/her as an app Friend. Instead, Google, the app developer, simply demands the info on all of your contacts to use for any purpose it wants, whether the contacts have anything to do with the app or not.

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This just in, Canada requires access too.
Mar 6, 2015 11:36AM PST
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Just another reason
Mar 6, 2015 1:19PM PST

to travel with a LIVE DVD or LIVE USB flashdrive, and no on device permanent storage.