Does the Korean government uses the messenger app LINE to spy on Japanese citizens? No, that's not true: LINE is currently owned by a Japanese company, and highly private personal information, such as calls and texts, are kept in a Japanese data center.
The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on June 21, 2023, by user @/omisochannel. Omisochannel is an established creator on YouTube and TikTok that talks about the occult and common conspiracy theories such as the Illuminati. In this video he delves into why LINE is free while other apps such as WhatsApp were paid under a subscription model before they became free:
Something more important than money is being collected by making LINE free. LINE's former parent company until 2021 was Naver, a Korean company. That means all personal data have been sent to Korea.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Jun 27 02:21:16 2023 UTC)
On LINE's official website, the data management for domestic (i.e., Japanese) users is located in a Japanese data center, where text messages, call logs, phone numbers and email addresses are stored. Although the company admits that images and videos shared through the app are stored in a South Korean data center, they clarify that information pertaining to identity verification is stored in Japan. In short, all personal data necessary to access the app is stored in Japan.
Despite several rumors that address the potential leakage of personal info via LINE to Korea's National Intelligence Service, there is no definitive proof of such stories. Former President of LINE Corporation Ryo Morikawa has denied these allegations, stating that it was impossible to intercept data with LINE's current data collection format. Third-party commentators have also said the allegations were inconclusive from both sides.
