Japanese government ends use of messaging app for sensitive information

The logo of the free Line messaging app is pictured on a smartphone and the company’s plush toy in this photo illustration taken in Tokyo, Japan on September 23, 2014. REUTERS / Toru Hanai / Illustration / File Photo

TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) – The Japanese government has decided to temporarily suspend its use of the popular Line messaging app, owned by SoftBank Corp (9434.T) Z Holdings (4689.T), to process sensitive information, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu said Kato said on Monday.

The move comes after national media reported this month that four engineers from a Line subsidiary in Shanghai were allowed access to servers in Japan from 2018 that contained names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. -user mail.

Following the information, a spokesperson for Line, which has 186 million users worldwide, said the company has since blocked access to user data at the Chinese subsidiary.

“The government will stop using Line for processing sensitive information for now and quickly set up a task force, so that guidelines for use can be compiled quickly,” Kato said in a statement. regular press conference.

Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Alex Richardson

Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source link