Security News > 2021 > December > Japan draws a LINE: web giants must reveal where they store user data

Social media and search engine operators in Japan will be required to specify the countries in which users' data is physically stored, under a planned tweak to local laws.

The amendment, if passed, requires search engines, social media operators and mobile phone companies with over 10 million Japanese users to disclose where in the world they store data, and identify any foreign subcontractors that can access the data.

The proposed law applies to overseas companies that operate in Japan - meaning the likes of Twitter and Facebook will need to disclose their storage choices publicly.

The move is in part a reaction to Japan's hugely popular homegrown freeware instant communication app, LINE, which had several recent snafus related to data storage and protection.

In March of last year, it was revealed that some of LINE's data had made its way to China - prompting Japanese government officials to stop using the app.

With those incidents in mind, the government's legislative move seems less like a knee-jerk reaction and more like warranted preemptive action against future data snafus - particularly as different countries employ varying storage standards and laws.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/12/16/japan_data_location_requirement/