I searched, but could not find any definitive answer so I’ll ask here…
What data is being collected and stored on Wazers? Specifically, I want to know if my speed history (when I’m running Waze obviously) is being stored. I don’t mind if I can contribute to the community with real time speed data to feed traffic algorithms. But, if that data is being stored (not just used in real time), it can be subpoenaed… and frankly, there are times when I would prefer that not happen.
How can your speed data be subpoenaed?
I wanna hear this answer. 
Well, on the off chance you are not kidding…
I have a couple of high performance automobiles that can attract a negative reaction from law enforcement. I have even been stopped before, and without a valid form of speed measurement, have the police demand to know how fast I was driving. This has happened more than once. In my experience, if some “black box” device is recording my speed, I would not approve.
Without wandering into the obvious distraction regarding the morality of exceeding the posted limit… I again ask, what data is Waze persisting?
There is a “little black box” in your car that’s recording EVERYTHING. And that’s not counting what’s on your phone.
Anywho, to get to the point, a subpoena can’t be issued without some reasonable suspicion. With that being said, if an office doesn’t know you’re using Waze, then he/she will never know or think about getting a judge to subpoena Waze for any records they may store on you (and I don’t know if they do collect and save data). I don’t see a police department spending the time or effort in obtaining a subpoena for any driver. It’s a waste and by the time they get the information (a company has 90 days, I think) from the company, your court date would have come and gone.
In general terms, under your user account, if you are running Waze, your GPS tracks are stored with time and date stamps. That data is anonymized/aggregated for many purposes, but the raw data is kept in perpetuity I believe.
From http://www.waze.com/, check out the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More details are available in there than I can rattle off.
The “little black box” in most (not all) automobiles retain data for a very short time period that is only useful in a scenario such as an accident. Driving beyond any point in time appends new data over old. Besides, the ones in my cars have mysteriously crossed leads on the RPM and gear selection entries used to derive speed. Having a navigation / social traffic service recording and persisting speed data for an extended period of time is most definitely a different proposition.
And no, my phone doesn’t log GPS speed information locally, or transmit the data (with the exception of Waze). And no, phone company cell tower time-stamped triangulation data is not accurate enough to be used as evidence of speeding. However, a client app running on a mobile device reporting GPS data to and stored on a remote server could be used as evidence.
But AoftheB posted what I wanted to know, so I’ll leave it at that.
What kind of phone are you using? I know iPhones are defaulted to collect traffic data while you drive unless you turn it off (even with no apps running). Not sure about Androids, but it’s worth looking into.
I think that you need to relax, as it takes too much legal resources to subpoena and process this information - just to see “if” you were speeding. Now a different story is some serious offence: in our country child’s rapist and killer was arrested by using GSM triangulation data history records, police found out that when child was kidnapped, raped and murdered - one phone was in proximity of child’s phone all the time.
That’s totally something different. I do agree with you that it’s going to be a lengthy process getting a subpoena for just a speeding ticket, or to prove someone was speeding. I don’t see any issues with it.
I agree that no one in law enforcement would bother for a standard 10 or 20 over the posted limit type of ticket, but what started me thinking about this is an incident a few days ago when I left Waze running while traveling on an empty road… lets just say a few orders of magnitude above the limit. I normally just turn my phone off, but this time it slipped my mind.
Well, if the data ever surfaced… “I left it on while I was flying. Along the highway. Really close to the ground.”
A reckless driving charge does not need a speed report. Just the opinion of the officer that you were traveling well in excess of the posted speed limit. And the speeds you are claiming are well into the reckless driving range. The officer can just note the speed he had to attain to attempt to pull you over and it’s all over. For that matter most dash cams now record the speed as well as video and sound.
To further put and end to these fears: all speed measuring equipment must be certified and maintained! We got many speeding tickets cancelled due to this issue Your phone is either certified, tested nor maintained to record driving speed by GPS. Now technology of GPS and Glonass is very good but if you don’t have paperwork - it means that there can be some bugs, issues with speed measurement and we don’t know what is the error margin for your phone!
For example: new speed measuring radars have error margin of 5 km/h! Vehicle speedometer usually reports 5 km more, but if you change tyres to different size than in ECU - it becomes another ball game…
Any normal attorney will throw out Waze data in court (at least in Europe, and USA) if it comes to that.
Sorry daknife, but that is incorrect. The only assessments of reckless driving allowed without a valid measure of speed are things like “exhibition of speed” (burnouts or drifting), weaving between cars or lanes, following to close, etc. And the rate of speed used to catch another car is irrelevant, only the matching speed observed while pacing another car is admissible.
I’ve been driving 40-50k miles a year for 26 years, so I have more than my fair share of experience with the legal system.
Sounds like you should drive better then!
Despite having a penchant for speed, MoaiTrist may just drive with more control and attentiveness than most drivers on the road. 
I keep telling myself I’ll let this thread go, but I just can’t seem to do it, so one last thought… again.
The performance capabilities of automobiles keep increasing year after year, but unfortunately our laws do not keep pace. Better tire materials, tire pressure monitoring, dynamic stability control, anti-lock braking systems, better brakes, engines, transmissions, and active aerodynamics make for dramatically safer cars at high speeds today than even just 10 years ago. Unfortunately our laws were written in the 1950’s and haven’t changed much.
It is possible to drive safely at high speeds on open limited access roads that are not congested with traffic. Germany’s autobahn is the best example of this. Driving at high speeds, even speeds over 150 mph is nothing unusual there. But unfortunately, in the United States, high speed driving is lumped in with dangerous activities such as racing, tailgating, rapid lane changing, passing blind, or it is simply viewed as road rage.
I’ll just try to clarify my own position by saying this… I don’t exceed the speed limits in residential, congested areas, or schools zones (I actually find that behavior disturbing), I don’t follow too closely, weave through traffic, I don’t race (ever), and I don’t run into the higher speeds with passengers. I don’t flip people off or engage them when they cut me off or otherwise behave recklessly. I simply let them go on their way, or report them if they appear to be a danger to others. I even let people cut in when they appear disoriented and need to merge at the last minute (although I admit not doing so for those just racing up to cut in line).
However, when I’m on an open road with limited access and no other traffic, I do travel at speeds that some people would find objectionable. And that’s the last thing I’ll say about that.
oh… and that the only speeding ticket I have received that I have not had dismissed occurred in 1991. Now I’m done.
Germany’s autobahns are increasingly becoming speed restricted. It’s a common misconception that they have endless miles of unrestricted road. They also have the road size and quality to justify them. Very few other roads in the world match their standard.
And irrespective of your view of the suitability or age of road laws you are still bound by them. It’s not for you or anyone else on the road to decide what is or is not relevant.