LINE: https://guide.line.me/privacy-policy_update/2023/ja (Japanese only)
Yahoo Japan: https://about.yahoo.co.jp/topics/20230901a.html (Japanese only)
LINE Corporation (hereinafter "LINE") and Yahoo Japan Corporation (hereinafter "Yahoo Japan") is scheduled to be integrated to LY Corporation (hereinafter the "New Company") on October 1, 2023. Accompanying this integration, the two companies will merge their Privacy Policies. Ahead of the integration, LINE and Yahoo Japan have today begun to notify the users of the Privacy Policy of the New Company on the service apps and websites provided by both companies. The full text of the new Privacy Policy is scheduled to be announced around the middle of September, and the effective date will be October 1, 2023. The consent screen for the new Privacy Policy is scheduled to be sequentially available to the users from October 4, on the services of LINE and Yahoo Japan.
■ Background of the integration of the Privacy Policies
Under the guiding principle of "User Privacy First," the New Company will continue to provide various services of both companies and coordinate them to smoothly provide better services to users. In line with this guiding principle, a new Privacy Policy has been developed to integrate the Privacy Policies of the two companies so that the New Company will properly manage users' information under one policy and use it for safe and convenient service operation. After the integration, guided by its "User Privacy First" principle which is upheld in its Basic Policy on Data Protection, the New Company will appropriately manage the information obtained from users in accordance with the integrated Privacy Policy.
■ Key points on the integration of the Privacy Policies of LINE and Yahoo Japan
1. Acquisition of information from advertisers and other partners for ad distribution and other purposes, and its use
When the New Company distributes ads to users, etc., infromation acquired from partners (such as IDs which identify users, etc.) may be combined and used with the information possessed by the New Company.
2. Creation and provision of analytical and statistical information
Information acquired from partners (such as IDs which identify users, etc.) may be combined and used with the information possessed by the New Company to create analytical results and statistical information which may be provided to partners. Information that can directly specify users will not be provided to partners.
3. Clarification of the destinations of cross-border transfers (country/region)
The Privacy Policy clearly indicates the locations (countries/regions) of the subcontractors and information-sharing parties to which user information is entrusted.
4. Provision of identifiers, etc., to third parties
To enable the users to use its services smoothly, the New Company may provide information such as user identifiers to third parties, including its partners, to the extent necessary when providing services, etc. In these cases, information that directly identifies users will not be provided.
5. Linkage of identifiers
When providing services of the New Company, including distributing ads to users, user information may be managed/used by linking information such as various identifiers, including internal identifiers. These identifiers are assigned to the users when they use each of the service of LINE and Yahoo Japan.
The Expert Panel on Privacy Based on Users' Standpoint*1, an expert panel held by Z Holdings Corporation, the parent company of both companies, evaluated the new Privacy Policy from an objective viewpoint and in a stringent manner. The Expert Panel made an evaluation on whether the content and process of privacy-related measures and information disclosure are capable of meeting the expectations of users and society. The new Privacy Policy was formulated and is scheduled to be announced based on the proposals received from the Expert Panel.
■ Link to the webpage announcing the Privacy Policy will be displayed at the following and the referral is scheduled to be conducted sequentially.
- Major services and apps provided by both companies
- Front page and chat list of "LINE" app
- Yahoo Japan's Privacy Center
- Mail notifications
■ Linkage of LINE and Yahoo Japan accounts
To enhance the convenience in using the services of LINE and Yahoo Japan, the New Company plans to provide a feature to link the accounts of users who have agreed to the Privacy Policy, and connect the data of both services at the user's discretion.
Users who have linked their accounts is scheduled to be able to use the services more conveniently, for example, by "being able to manage the registration information of each account in one stop" and "receiving notifications of information that is of greater interest to the user."
The New Company will place the utmost priority on protecting user privacy and strengthening security for this purpose, and will make every effort to offer a better service experience by sincerely addressing the opinions and suggestions of users and experts, so that users can use the services without anxiety.
*1Z Holdings Corporation Dialogues with Experts
https://www.z-holdings.co.jp/en/sustainability/stakeholder/25/
Unless otherwise specified, English-language documents are prepared solely for the convenience of non-Japanese speakers. If there is any inconsistency between the English-language documents and the Japanese-language documents, the Japanese-language documents will prevail.