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Technology

Line cuts off access from China to protect personal data in Japan

Fear of Beijing's National Intelligence Law triggers nationwide uproar

Takeshi Idezawa, co-CEO of Z Holdings, which owns Line, explained the messaging app's new policy on data management on Tuesday. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)

TOKYO -- Japan's messaging app Line has stopped its Chinese affiliates and contractors from accessing the personal information of Japanese users, the company said Tuesday, in response to growing scrutiny over its data management practices.

Line also said it would transfer some information stored in data centers in South Korea, such as such as images and videos posted by users in Japan and payment histories from its LinePay service, to Japan by September.

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