Japan messenger app Line let engineers in China access user data without consent: Report

TOKYO: Japanese messaging app Line, owned by SoftBank Corp’s Z Holdings Corp, allowed Chinese engineers at a Shanghai affiliate to access data on Japanese users without seeking their consent, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.

Under Japanese privacy regulations, companies have to inform users when their personal data is sent overseas, public broadcaster NHK said.

“There hasn’t been anything that breached legal or regulatory boundaries,” a spokesman for Line said.” We will continue to respond to laws and regulations in all jurisdictions, including Japan.”