Line users' details accessed by technicians on China without consent
Messaging app provider Line Corp explained Wednesday its iPhone app users' personal information had been accessed by specialists in China without users becoming informed as required for legal reasons.
Series, whose app is utilized by more than 86 million of Japan's some 126 million people, says on its data safety guideline that customers' private information could be transferred overseas. Nonetheless it does not specify the brand of any foreign region despite being necessary to do thus under a legal switch last year.
Line said a Chinese affiliate marketer entrusted to develop artificial intelligence technology had usage of its database in least 32 times.
Four professionals of Line's affiliate organization in China could actually see users' names, telephone numbers and email addresses along with communications reported by users due to inappropriate from around the summertime of 2018. Conventional text messages were not read because they were encrypted.
"We are incredibly sorry for triggering anxiety and concerns due to our inadequate explanations," the software operator explained in a affirmation, adding that a few of its app users' personal information stored in Japan could be accessed from its operating bases overseas, a system in place to improve its services.
Line said it has confirmed no improper info use and blocked usage of its database from China found in February.
The software operator said it has reported the problem to the government's Personal Information Protection Commission and will soon setup a third-party panel to investigate the incident.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference that the federal government will appropriately respond to the matter after confirming information. The government commission as well said it will look into the case, incorporating whether Brand properly supervised the affiliate marketer.
The necessity to specify to which countries data is transferred was introduced under a revision to the non-public information protection laws in June this past year.
The Line application has been increasingly found in Japan as a main sociable communications tool and can be preferred in Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia.
"It is a major problem to provide customers' personal information including labels and telephone numbers to a third party overseas without the consent of users," said Noboru Matsuzawa, manager of the community improvement and life style research section at the NLI Exploration Institute.
He also noted that the Communist-led government found in China can acquire a broader selection of information than a democratic country want Japan, rendering it "very bad" for Series to have allowed outsiders there to learn inappropriate text messages reported by its users.
Line launched its messaging application in June 2011 and merged with Z Holdings Corp, operator of Yahoo Japan internet solutions, about March 1 to globally expand its online services business and contend with U.S. and Chinese tech giants.
Source: japantoday.com
