<s>
Line	O
is	O
a	O
freeware	B-License
app	O
for	O
instant	B-Application
communications	I-Application
on	O
electronic	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
and	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
users	O
exchange	O
:	O
texts	O
,	O
images	O
,	O
video	O
and	O
audio	O
and	O
conduct	O
free	O
VoIP	B-Application
conversations	O
and	O
video	O
conferences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Line	O
is	O
a	O
platform	O
providing	O
various	O
services	O
including	O
:	O
digital	O
wallet	O
as	O
Line	O
Pay	O
,	O
news	O
stream	O
as	O
LINE	O
Today	O
,	O
video	B-Application
on	I-Application
demand	I-Application
as	O
Line	O
TV	O
and	O
digital	O
comic	O
distribution	O
as	O
Line	O
Manga	O
and	O
Line	O
Webtoon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
it	O
was	O
tailored	O
to	O
Japanese	O
consumers	O
 '	O
tastes	O
and	O
offered	O
free	O
smartphone	B-Application
calls	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
texting	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
a	O
massive	O
marketing	O
campaign	O
it	O
quickly	O
outpaced	O
its	O
existing	O
rival	O
KakaoTalk	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
South	O
Korea	O
,	O
the	O
home	O
of	O
NHN	O
Japan	O
's	O
parent	O
company	O
Naver	O
Corporation	O
,	O
Naver	O
had	O
launched	O
a	O
messaging	B-Application
app	I-Application
called	O
Naver	O
Talk	O
for	O
the	O
South	O
Korean	O
market	O
in	O
February	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
rival	O
Korean	O
company	O
Kakao	O
had	O
first-mover	O
advantage	O
with	O
its	O
KakaoTalk	B-Protocol
app	O
launched	O
in	O
March	O
2010	O
and	O
easily	O
dominated	O
the	O
Korean	O
market	O
by	O
March	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Wi-Fi	O
and	O
some	O
3G	O
remained	O
largely	O
usable	O
,	O
many	O
people	O
turned	O
to	O
KakaoTalk	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
was	O
just	O
beginning	O
to	O
gain	O
a	O
foothold	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lee	O
was	O
inspired	O
to	O
launch	O
a	O
messaging	O
and	O
chat	O
app	O
in	O
the	O
wake	O
of	O
the	O
disaster	O
and	O
his	O
NHN	O
Japan	O
team	O
was	O
testing	O
a	O
beta	O
version	O
of	O
an	O
app	O
accessible	O
on	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
tablet	B-Device
and	O
PC	B-Device
,	O
which	O
would	O
work	O
on	O
data	O
network	O
and	O
provide	O
continuous	O
and	O
free	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
and	O
calling	O
service	O
,	O
within	O
two	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
Naver/NHN	O
had	O
a	O
far	O
superior	O
cultural	O
knowledge	O
of	O
what	O
Japanese	O
users	O
wanted	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
corporate	O
marketing	O
budget	O
,	O
Line	O
quickly	O
surpassed	O
KakaoTalk	B-Protocol
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
also	O
offers	O
free	O
voice	O
calls	O
and	O
,	O
since	O
Japan	O
's	O
telecoms	O
make	O
customers	O
pay	O
for	O
both	O
SMSs	O
and	O
smartphone	B-Application
calls	O
,	O
this	O
feature	O
,	O
which	O
KakaoTalk	B-Protocol
did	O
not	O
have	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
selling	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
improve	O
scalability	O
to	O
accommodate	O
its	O
exponential	O
rise	O
in	O
new	O
users	O
,	O
NHN	O
Japan	O
chose	O
HBase	B-Language
as	O
the	O
primary	O
storage	O
for	O
user	O
profiles	O
,	O
contacts	O
and	O
groups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
as	O
a	O
mobile	O
application	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
IOS	B-Application
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
has	O
since	O
expanded	O
to	O
:	O
BlackBerry	B-Application
OS	I-Application
(	O
August	O
2012	O
)	O
,	O
Nokia	B-Device
Asha	I-Device
(	O
Asia	O
and	O
Oceania	O
,	O
March	O
2013	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
(	O
July	O
2013	O
)	O
,	O
Firefox	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
(	O
February	O
2014	O
)	O
,	O
IPadOS	B-Operating_System
(	O
October	O
2014	O
)	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
Chrome	B-Application
Browser	I-Application
Application	O
(	O
via	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
Web	I-Application
Store	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
application	O
also	O
exists	O
in	O
versions	O
for	O
laptop	O
and	O
desktop	O
computers	O
using	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
MacOS	B-Application
platforms	O
..	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
integrating	O
the	O
two	O
businesses	O
and	O
creating	O
further	O
platforms	O
,	O
the	O
merged	O
company	O
aims	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
the	O
U.S.	O
tech	O
giants	O
:	O
Google	O
,	O
Amazon	O
,	O
Facebook	O
and	O
Apple	O
and	O
the	O
Chinese	O
tech	O
giants	O
Baidu	B-Application
,	O
Alibaba	O
and	O
Tencent	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Japanese	O
e-commerce	O
giant	O
Rakuten	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
is	O
an	O
application	O
that	O
works	O
on	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
and	O
has	O
access	O
via	O
multiple	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
(	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
or	O
MacOS	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
can	O
share	O
photos	O
,	O
videos	O
and	O
music	O
with	O
other	O
users	O
,	O
send	O
the	O
current	O
or	O
any	O
specific	O
:	O
locations	O
,	O
voice	O
audios	O
,	O
emojis	B-Application
,	O
stickers	O
and	O
emoticons	O
to	O
friends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
Line	O
Taxi	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Tokyo	O
as	O
a	O
competitor	O
to	O
Uber	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
launched	O
a	O
new	O
android	B-Application
app	O
called	O
"	O
Popcorn	O
buzz	O
"	O
in	O
June	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
a	O
new	O
Emoji	B-Application
keyboard	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
for	O
IOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
which	O
provides	O
a	O
Line-like	O
experience	O
with	O
the	O
possibility	O
to	O
add	O
stickers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2015	O
a	O
new	O
Android	B-Application
launcher	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Google	O
Play	O
Store	O
,	O
helping	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
promote	O
its	O
own	O
services	O
through	O
the	O
new	O
user	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
features	O
a	O
Sticker	O
Shop	O
where	O
users	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
purchase	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
stickers	I-General_Concept
depicting	O
original	O
and	O
well-known	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
stickers	O
are	O
used	O
during	O
chat	O
sessions	O
between	O
users	O
and	O
act	O
as	O
large	O
emoji	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Project	O
NM	O
by	O
Space	O
Dive	O
was	O
also	O
announced	O
for	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
mobile	O
and	O
PC	B-Device
include	O
:	O
Project	O
NL	O
(	O
by	O
MeerKat	O
Games	O
)	O
and	O
Uncharted	O
Waters	O
Origins	O
(	O
by	O
Line	O
Games	O
and	O
Koei	O
Tecmo	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
Line	O
services	O
,	O
Line	O
Pay	O
is	O
offered	O
worldwide	O
through	O
the	O
Line	B-Application
app	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Just	O
like	O
Line	O
Pay	O
,	O
Line	O
Taxi	O
is	O
not	O
offered	O
as	O
a	O
separate	O
app	O
but	O
rather	O
through	O
the	O
Line	B-Application
app	I-Application
where	O
users	O
can	O
request	O
a	O
taxi	O
and	O
automatically	O
pay	O
for	O
it	O
when	O
they	O
connect	O
their	O
account	O
to	O
Line	O
Pay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
news	O
hub	O
integrated	O
in	O
the	O
Line	B-Application
app	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
a	O
lower-overhead	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
emerging	O
markets	O
called	O
Line	O
Lite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Line	O
accounts	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
on	O
only	O
one	O
mobile	O
device	O
(	O
running	O
the	O
app	O
version	O
)	O
or	O
one	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
(	O
running	O
the	O
version	O
for	O
these	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
"	O
Line	O
Lite	O
"	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
was	O
installed	O
and	O
activated	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
was	O
told	O
they	O
will	O
be	O
"	O
logged	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
normal	O
Line	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
possible	O
to	O
intercept	O
a	O
Line	O
chat	O
session	O
at	O
the	O
network	O
level	O
using	O
packet	O
capture	O
software	O
and	O
to	O
reconstruct	O
it	O
on	O
a	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
uses	O
the	O
ECDH	B-Protocol
protocol	O
for	O
client-to-client	O
encryption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Japanese	O
government	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
investigate	O
Line	O
after	O
reports	O
that	O
it	O
let	O
Chinese	O
system-maintenance	O
engineers	O
in	O
Shanghai	B-Device
access	O
Japanese	O
users	O
 '	O
data	O
without	O
informing	O
them	O
,	O
beginning	O
in	O
August	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
Chinese	O
engineers	O
in	O
a	O
Shanghai-based	O
affiliate	O
that	O
Line	O
subcontracted	O
to	O
develop	O
AI	O
accessed	O
the	O
messages	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
computer	O
system	O
and	O
personal	O
information	O
of	O
Line	O
users	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
:	O
name	O
,	O
phone	O
number	O
,	O
email	O
address	O
and	O
Line	O
ID	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
Tokyo	O
metropolitan	O
government	O
offers	O
proof	O
of	O
COVID-19	O
vaccinations	O
through	O
the	O
Line	B-Application
app	I-Application
,	O
with	O
expansion	O
planned	O
for	O
other	O
prefectures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unconfirmed	O
reports	O
suggest	O
that	O
Roman	O
Matovsky	O
hacked	B-Application
the	O
company	O
's	O
servers	O
because	O
of	O
a	O
personal	O
conflict	O
with	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
by	O
2014	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
Line	O
chat	O
servers	O
has	O
been	O
entirely	O
blocked	O
by	O
the	B-Application
Great	I-Application
Firewall	I-Application
,	O
while	O
the	O
company	O
still	O
makes	O
revenue	O
in	O
China	O
from	O
brick-and-mortar	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Indonesia	O
,	O
Line	O
has	O
responded	O
to	O
pressure	O
from	O
the	O
Indonesian	O
Communication	O
and	O
Information	O
Ministry	O
to	O
remove	O
emojis	B-Application
and	O
stickers	O
it	O
believes	O
make	O
reference	O
to	O
homosexuality	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
the	O
emoji	B-Application
"	O
two	O
men	O
holding	O
hands	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telecommunications	O
companies	O
appear	O
to	O
have	O
taken	O
steps	O
in	O
May	O
to	O
progressively	O
block	O
access	O
to	O
LINE	O
and	O
other	O
services	O
using	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
2017	O
anime	O
Tsuki	O
ga	O
Kirei	O
,	O
the	O
Line	B-Application
app	I-Application
is	O
the	O
protagonists	O
 '	O
main	O
way	O
of	O
communication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
video	B-Application
on	I-Application
demand	I-Application
service	O
operating	O
in	O
Taiwan	O
and	O
Thailand	O
.	O
</s>
