Several sensational headlines in recent days have managed to seriously worry Bulgarian drivers. The allegations that the popular navigation application Waze has suddenly started to “hide“ police patrols and speed cameras quickly spread across social networks. However, the tension behind the wheel turned out to be completely unnecessary, because behind the noise is not a technical change in the application, but another case of exaggerated information.
It all started with a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union in a case that came from France. The court in Luxembourg simply confirmed the right of each individual country of the union, if it deems it necessary, to temporarily limit the functions for locating police in navigations during specific specialized actions. Such measures have been implemented by the French authorities for years to prevent warnings during mass checks for alcohol, drugs or wanted persons.
However, the interpretation of the European magistrates is only a legal framework that allows national governments to react if necessary. This in no way constitutes an automatic ban for the entire European Union, nor is it a global change in the algorithms of the software itself. Each country decides for itself whether and how to regulate these technologies on its territory.
To date, no such restrictions have been adopted in Bulgarian legislation and Waze continues to function without any changes. Drivers in our country still rely on the active community of users who signal dangers, delays, cameras and increased police presence on the road. The application works exactly as it did yesterday, so unnecessary panic behind the wheel can be safely left in the background.