LINE told Japanese users their messages were private. Engineers at a Chinese subsidiary were accessing them. Names, phone numbers, message content — available to staff in China. The Japanese government investigated. 86 million Japanese users' data, accessible from China, while LINE marketed end-to-end encryption. The encryption was opt-in. The Chinese access was not. In Japan, LINE is not just a messenger. It is how you pay bills, see a doctor, read news, buy groceries, and call a taxi. One app, one account, one breach away from exposing your entire life — finances, health consultations, social graph, reading habits, and location history. Super-apps are super targets.
What they claim: LINE promotes end-to-end encryption for private messaging via Letter Sealing
What we found: LINE's end-to-end encryption ("Letter Sealing") is opt-in for group chats and does not cover voice calls, video calls, or the many integrated services (LINE Pay, LINE News, LINE Healthcare). In 2021, it was revealed that LINE had allowed engineers at a Chinese subsidiary (LINE Plus) to access Japanese users' personal data — including names, phone numbers, and messages — without user knowledge. The Japanese government launched an investigation.
What they claim: LINE describes itself as a messaging app with privacy protections
What we found: LINE is a super-app in Japan and Southeast Asia — combining messaging, payments (LINE Pay), news, healthcare (LINE Doctor), music (LINE Music), shopping, and ride-hailing. This means LINE has access to financial transactions, health consultations, news consumption, and social connections in a single platform. A breach of LINE exposes not just messages but an individual's entire digital life.