<s>
Waze	B-Application
(	O
;	O
)	O
,	O
formerly	O
FreeMap	B-Application
Israel	I-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
company	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
that	O
provides	O
satellite	B-Application
navigation	I-Application
software	I-Application
on	O
smartphones	O
and	O
other	O
computers	O
that	O
support	O
the	O
Global	O
Positioning	O
System	O
(	O
GPS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
turn-by-turn	B-Application
navigation	I-Application
,	O
it	O
incorporates	O
user-submitted	O
travel	O
times	O
and	O
route	O
details	O
while	O
downloading	O
location-dependent	O
information	O
over	O
a	O
cellular	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
describes	O
its	O
application	O
as	O
a	O
community-driven	O
initiative	O
that	O
is	O
free	O
to	O
download	O
and	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
in	O
Israel	O
by	O
Waze	B-Application
Mobile	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
founded	O
by	O
Israeli	O
entrepreneurs	O
Ehud	O
Shabtai	O
,	O
Amir	O
Shinar	O
,	O
and	O
Uri	O
Levine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
Mobile	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
for	O
US	O
$1.3	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Israeli	O
programmer	O
Ehud	O
Shabtai	O
founded	O
a	O
community	O
project	O
known	O
as	O
FreeMap	B-Application
Israel	I-Application
,	O
which	O
aimed	O
to	O
create	O
(	O
with	O
the	O
crowd-sourcing	O
assistance	O
of	O
community	O
users	O
)	O
a	O
free	O
digital	O
mapping	O
database	O
of	O
Israel	O
compiled	O
in	O
the	O
Hebrew	O
language	O
with	O
ensured	O
free	O
content	O
,	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Shabtai	O
formed	O
a	O
company	O
called	O
Waze	B-Application
to	O
commercialize	O
the	O
initial	O
project	O
;	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
renamed	O
to	O
Waze	B-Application
Mobile	O
Ltd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
December	O
2011	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
had	O
employed	O
80	O
people	O
,	O
70	O
of	O
whom	O
were	O
based	O
in	O
Raʽanana	O
,	O
Israel	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
remaining	O
10	O
based	O
in	O
Palo	O
Alto	O
,	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
offers	O
television	O
news	O
stations	O
a	O
web	O
interface	O
to	O
broadcast	O
current	O
traffic	O
reports	O
and	O
alerts	O
directly	O
from	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
application	O
;	O
the	O
service	O
had	O
been	O
in	O
use	O
by	O
25	O
American	O
television	O
news	O
stations	O
by	O
June	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
GSM	O
Association	O
,	O
a	O
trade	O
association	O
of	O
mobile	O
network	O
operators	O
,	O
gave	O
Waze	B-Application
the	O
Best	O
Overall	O
Mobile	O
App	O
award	O
at	O
the	O
association	O
's	O
Mobile	O
World	O
Congress	O
exhibition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Google	B-Application
for	O
$1.3	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
's	O
then-100	O
employees	O
received	O
about	O
$1.2	O
million	O
on	O
average	O
:	O
the	O
largest	O
payout	O
to	O
employees	O
in	O
Israeli	O
high	O
tech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Trade	O
Commission	O
(	O
FTC	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
began	O
a	O
consideration	O
of	O
whether	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
acquisition	O
of	O
Waze	B-Application
was	O
potentially	O
violating	O
competition	O
law	O
;	O
Waze	B-Application
was	O
among	O
a	O
very	O
small	O
group	O
of	O
competitors	O
in	O
the	O
mobile	O
mapping	O
sector	O
against	O
Google	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
FTC	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
re-examining	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
2013	O
acquisition	O
of	O
Waze	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
collects	O
map	O
data	O
,	O
travel	O
times	O
,	O
and	O
traffic	O
information	O
from	O
users	O
and	O
transmits	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
server	O
,	O
at	O
no	O
cost	O
to	O
Waze	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
users	O
(	O
"	O
Wazers	O
"	O
)	O
can	O
report	O
accidents	O
,	O
traffic	O
jams	O
,	O
speed	O
and	O
police	O
traps	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
online	O
map	O
editor	O
,	O
can	O
update	O
roads	O
,	O
landmarks	O
,	O
house	O
numbers	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
sends	O
anonymous	O
information	O
,	O
including	O
users	O
 '	O
speed	O
and	O
location	O
,	O
back	O
to	O
its	O
database	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
service	O
as	O
a	O
whole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
information	O
collected	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
is	O
then	O
in	O
a	O
position	O
to	O
provide	O
routing	O
and	O
real-time	O
traffic	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
can	O
also	O
identify	O
the	O
cheapest	O
fuel	O
station	O
near	O
a	O
user	O
or	O
along	O
their	O
route	O
,	O
provided	O
Waze	B-Application
has	O
enabled	O
fuel	O
prices	O
for	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
offers	O
turn-by-turn	O
voice	O
navigation	O
,	O
real-time	O
traffic	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
location-specific	O
alerts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
encourages	O
users	O
to	O
report	O
traffic	O
or	O
road	O
hazards	O
through	O
incentives	O
such	O
as	O
acquiring	O
points	O
for	O
their	O
profiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
direct	O
users	O
based	O
on	O
crowdsourced	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
users	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
report	O
a	O
multitude	O
of	O
traffic-related	O
incidents	O
from	O
accidents	O
to	O
police	O
traps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
data	O
is	O
used	O
by	O
Waze	B-Application
to	O
help	O
other	O
users	O
either	O
by	O
alerting	O
them	O
of	O
the	O
condition	O
ahead	O
or	O
rerouting	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
area	O
entirely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
user	O
input	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
relies	O
on	O
information	O
from	O
state	O
agencies	O
for	O
traffic	O
events	O
such	O
as	O
road	O
construction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
using	O
crowdsourced	O
information	O
for	O
traffic	O
alerts	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
also	O
allows	O
registered	O
users	O
to	O
modify	B-General_Concept
the	I-General_Concept
map	I-General_Concept
data	I-General_Concept
itself	I-General_Concept
through	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
Map	O
Editor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Map	O
editors	O
are	O
allowed	O
to	O
make	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
map	O
based	O
on	O
where	O
they	O
have	O
driven	O
while	O
using	O
Waze	B-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
rank	O
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
how	O
many	O
map	O
edits	O
a	O
user	O
has	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
global	O
localization	O
project	O
that	O
enables	O
future	O
road	O
closures	O
and	O
real-time	O
traffic	O
updates	O
during	O
major	O
events	O
in	O
a	O
given	O
country	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
the	O
Tour	B-Application
de	I-Application
France	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
also	O
acquired	O
Waze	B-Application
in	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Google	B-Application
's	I-Application
acquisition	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
nearly	O
50	O
million	O
Waze	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
also	O
lets	O
users	O
choose	O
their	O
navigation	O
voice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
its	O
partnership	O
with	O
Waze	B-Application
to	O
give	O
an	O
integrated	O
experience	O
where	O
Wazers	O
could	O
play	O
music	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
directly	O
from	O
Waze	B-Application
app	O
and	O
get	O
Waze	B-Application
directions	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
app	O
on	O
the	O
Android	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
introduced	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
record	O
their	O
own	O
voice	O
navigation	O
prompts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2018	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
introduced	O
Android	B-Application
Auto	I-Application
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2018	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
introduced	O
Apple	B-General_Concept
CarPlay	I-General_Concept
support	O
after	O
Apple	O
released	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
12	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2018	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
announced	O
its	O
partnership	O
with	O
Pandora	B-Application
,	O
Deezer	B-Application
,	O
iHeart	O
Radio	O
,	O
NPR	O
One	O
,	O
Scribd	O
,	O
Stitcher	B-Application
,	O
and	O
TuneIn	B-Application
for	O
Waze	B-Application
Audio	O
Player	O
which	O
Spotify	B-Application
has	O
been	O
Waze	B-Application
inaugural	O
partner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Android	O
users	O
wo	O
n't	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
link	O
Deezer	B-Application
,	O
and	O
iOS	O
users	O
wo	O
n't	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
Pandora	B-Application
,	O
NPR	O
,	O
or	O
TuneIn	B-Application
when	O
Waze	B-Application
announced	O
its	O
partnership	O
in	O
Medium	O
suggesting	O
joining	O
its	O
beta	O
program	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
mentioned	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
updated	O
its	O
iOS	O
platform	O
with	O
Siri	B-Application
Shortcuts	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2019	O
the	O
company	O
announced	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
adding	O
Pandora	B-Application
a	O
new	O
streaming	O
service	O
to	O
the	O
audio	O
play	O
feature	O
for	O
iOS	O
users	O
,	O
allowing	O
riders	O
to	O
have	O
more	O
music	O
options	O
during	O
their	O
commute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2019	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
added	O
YouTube	B-Application
Music	I-Application
integration	O
to	O
both	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
announced	O
at	O
the	B-Application
Google	I-Application
I/O	O
2019	O
developer	O
conference	O
it	O
was	O
adding	O
Google	B-Application
Assistant	I-Application
integration	O
with	O
Waze	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
added	O
support	O
for	O
lane	O
guidance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
also	O
announced	O
that	O
starting	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
implement	O
trip	O
suggestions	O
,	O
pulling	O
together	O
suggestions	O
from	O
recently	O
visited	O
places	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
ran	O
a	O
dedicated	O
carpooling	O
app	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
Carpool	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
launched	O
in	O
2016	O
and	O
was	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
USA	O
,	O
Brazil	O
,	O
and	O
Israel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
has	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
app	O
will	O
be	O
retired	O
in	O
2022	O
,	O
citing	O
COVID-related	O
changes	O
in	O
commuting	O
patterns	O
that	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
sharp	O
decline	O
in	O
carpooling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
launched	O
the	O
Connected	O
Citizens	O
Program	O
(	O
CCP	O
)	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
,	O
a	O
free	O
,	O
two-way	O
data	O
sharing	O
program	O
used	O
by	O
over	O
450	O
governments	O
,	O
departments	O
of	O
transportation	O
,	O
and	O
municipalities	O
for	O
traffic	O
analysis	O
,	O
road	O
planning	O
,	O
and	O
emergency	O
workforce	O
dispatching	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
is	O
a	O
two-way	O
data	O
exchange	O
between	O
Waze	B-Application
and	O
the	O
partner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rio	O
collects	O
real-time	O
data	O
both	O
from	O
drivers	O
who	O
use	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
navigation	O
app	O
and	O
pedestrians	O
who	O
use	O
the	O
public-transportation	O
app	O
Moovit	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rio	O
was	O
also	O
talking	O
to	O
the	O
owners	O
of	O
cycling	O
app	O
Strava	B-Application
to	O
monitor	O
movements	O
of	O
cyclists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
program	O
got	O
a	O
major	O
overhaul	O
and	O
got	O
renamed	O
Waze	B-Application
for	O
Cities	O
(	O
W4C	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
road-safety	O
advocates	O
have	O
voiced	O
concern	O
over	O
the	O
prospect	O
of	O
more	O
drivers	O
using	O
Waze	B-Application
,	O
which	O
they	O
say	O
has	O
the	O
potential	O
to	O
distract	O
them	O
with	O
a	O
flurry	O
of	O
icons	O
and	O
notifications	O
and	O
put	O
them	O
at	O
greater	O
risk	O
of	O
an	O
accident	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2014	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
letter	O
sent	O
to	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Police	O
Department	O
Chief	O
Charlie	O
Beck	O
complained	O
about	O
the	O
police	O
locator	O
feature	O
,	O
claiming	O
it	O
could	O
be	O
"	O
misused	O
by	O
those	O
with	O
criminal	O
intent	O
to	O
endanger	O
police	O
officers	O
and	O
the	O
community	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
alleged	O
that	O
Ismaaiyl	O
Brinsley	O
,	O
who	O
shot	O
and	O
killed	O
two	O
NYPD	O
officers	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
had	O
used	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
app	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
murders	O
and	O
had	O
posted	O
a	O
screenshot	O
from	O
the	O
app	O
on	O
his	O
Instagram	O
account	O
hours	O
before	O
the	O
shootings	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
was	O
unsubstantiated	O
as	O
the	O
post	O
was	O
made	O
three	O
weeks	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
shootings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LAPD	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
police	O
agencies	O
,	O
pressured	O
Google	B-Application
to	O
disable	O
the	O
feature	O
on	O
the	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Google	B-Application
states	O
that	O
knowing	O
the	O
whereabouts	O
of	O
an	O
officer	O
promotes	O
safer	O
driving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
Waze	B-Application
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
rerouting	O
traffic	O
to	O
Baxter	O
Street	O
in	O
Echo	O
Park	O
,	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
steepest	O
hills	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
reports	O
,	O
the	O
driver	O
,	O
a	O
foreigner	O
,	O
and	O
his	O
companion	O
used	O
Waze	B-Application
on	O
their	O
way	O
home	O
to	O
Makati	O
from	O
Adriatico	O
street	O
in	O
Manila	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waze	B-Application
Mobile	O
Ltd	O
holds	O
several	O
patents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Waze	B-Application
v2.x	O
software	O
was	O
distributed	O
under	O
GNU	O
General	O
Public	O
License	O
v2	O
,	O
which	O
did	O
not	O
extend	O
to	O
map	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FreeMap	O
data	O
was	O
not	O
published	O
under	O
open	O
content	O
licenses	O
even	O
before	O
the	O
shift	O
to	O
Waze	B-Application
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ehud	O
Shabtai	O
who	O
initiated	O
and	O
developed	O
Freemap	O
and	O
Waze	B-Application
continuously	O
insisted	O
to	O
crowdsource	O
data	O
without	O
using	O
external	O
sources	O
or	O
projects	O
like	O
OpenStreetMap	O
that	O
would	O
restrict	O
commercialization	O
of	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
map	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Waze	B-Application
v3	O
the	O
application	O
was	O
rewritten	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
switched	O
to	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
license	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
open-source	B-Application
client	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
iPhone	O
and	O
Android	O
is	O
2.4.0.0	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
Windows	O
Mobile	O
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
class	O
action	O
suit	O
was	O
filed	O
in	O
March	O
2014	O
by	O
accountant	O
Roey	O
Gorodish	O
against	O
Waze	B-Application
,	O
claiming	O
intellectual	O
property	O
violation	O
for	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
open-source	B-Application
FreeMap	O
map	O
and	O
code	O
from	O
the	O
open-source	B-Application
RoadMap	O
software	O
,	O
a	O
project	O
that	O
Ehud	O
Shabtai	O
had	O
contributed	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	O
PocketPC	B-Device
version	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
