LINE

Notice regarding the handling of archived log data in the LINE app

During LINE’s regular removal of unneeded log files from the LINE app, we discovered that some archived log files that were not supposed to be subject to this process had been removed erroneously. 

Because LINE had already deemed the archived data in question as unnecessary and was in the process of considering its removal, the deletion of this data will not impact users. However, the deleted archived data did contain user data, so we are complying with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and publishing this announcement to inform the affected users who could otherwise not be notified.

We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused to our users and stakeholders, and provide a more detailed overview of what happened below. 

1. Overview

From July 27 to August 9, 2022, LINE carried out a scheduled removal of unneeded logs to manage the amount of space being taken up by data on our servers. During the scheduled log removal, archived log data that was not subject to this process was mistakenly deleted.

LINE had been retaining the archived data so that we could address possible user inquiries. However, before the data was mistakenly removed, we revised our management standards and determined that it only needs to be retained for up to a year. As the data was deemed unnecessary, we were already considering the timing of deleting it from our servers, and therefore, no users would be impacted by this issue.

However, in this instance, the data was retained in a different location to where it is usually placed, causing an employee who was carrying out the scheduled log removal to think that the data was subject to deletion. To prevent similar issues from happening again, we will establish and operate a warning system for data placements.

2. Deleted data

• The following types of data have been mistakenly removed:

o Time of log records

o User identifiers

o User activity types and control information

o User IP addresses and information on the clients they use

3. Timeline of events associated with this issue

- July 27, 2022 – Scheduled log removal began

- August 2, 2022 – Archived data mistakenly deleted

- August 9, 2022 – Scheduled log removal suspended upon the discovery that the archived data had been removed. Investigation of the issue began.

- October 6, 2022 – Issue announced to users

4. Inquiries regarding this issue

For questions or concerns, please contact us via the form below.

https://contact-cc.line.me/detailId/14934

Note: If the link does not work, please copy and paste the URL into your browser.

Once again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to our users and stakeholders. We will continue to review this matter and strive to prevent similar issues from occurring again.