Japan to tighten regulations on tech giants ‘to ensure transparency’

Japan plans to tighten regulations to prevent technology giants, including Facebook Inc and Google, from abusing their market power and having unfair advantage over small businesses, officials said on Tuesday.

The new law would oblige tech giants, such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, to disclose the terms of contracts with customers and to report to the government about their operations, Reuters said.

Japan’s move followed the global trend of tightening the regulatory screws on the online platforms. “We want to put the new law into effect in the way that would make business transactions become transparent without imposing excessive burdens or hampering innovation,” Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.

For protection of personal data, the government will revise the personal information protection law to allow individuals to request digital firms to suspend the use of their data. The law currently regulates the handling of data collected by illicit means.