Japan moves to grant consumer rights over personal data

Individuals would be able to bar companies from using identifying information

20190402N Facebook data center

A Facebook data center. The abuse of data collected by companies has fueled a push for greater privacy protections. © Reuters

NOBUTAKA HIRAMOTO and KOSUKE TAKEUCHI, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Japan is considering giving individuals the right to stop companies from using their personal data, Nikkei learned Tuesday, as companies increasingly mine this virtual resource to build new businesses.

The idea will be a point of debate in discussions about revisions to the country's data protection law, which is scheduled for review in 2020.

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