Japan’s popular T Card reward programme is source of information for police
- About 67 million people in Japan use T Cards and personal information given to authorities includes names, birth dates, and phone numbers
The operator of T Card, one of the most popular reward cards in Japan, has regularly provided personal information about its holders to police and prosecutors at their request without court approval, investigative sources said on Sunday.
The number of T Card holders is about 67 million, more than half of Japan’s population, and personal information given to authorities included their names, birth dates, and phone numbers, as well as shopping and film rental records, internal documents of police and prosecutors showed.
The reward card is managed by Culture Convenience Club, which operates the Tsutaya film rental and bookshop chain.
Under the programme, T Card holders can accumulate reward points by spending money at the company’s chain outlets and a range of other locations, including shops, restaurants, service stations and hotels.
Members of the reward system have had no knowledge that their shopping and rental records were given to police and prosecutors, because Culture Convenience Club does not clearly state in its terms of service the possibility of their personal information being used when it needs to cooperate with authorities.