Line (instant messaging)
| Line
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| developer | Line Corporation (subsidiary of Naver Corporation ) |
| Publishing year | 2011 |
| Current version | 9.7.6 ( Android - Google Play Store) May 2019 9.7.0 ( iOS ) 5.11.4 ( Win 10 Mobile ) 5.16.2 ( macOS ) |
| operating system | Android , iOS , Windows Phone , Windows 10 Mobile , Windows , macOS |
| category | Instant messaging |
| License | proprietary |
| German speaking | Yes |
| line.me | |
Line is an instant messaging - service of the Japanese company Line Corporation , which the Korean Naver Corporation belongs.
The app is available in up to seventeen languages. In Asia she wants to compete with the Chinese WeChat , the Korean KakaoTalk and the Indian Hike, as well as WhatsApp and the Facebook Messenger in Europe .
With the program you can make free VoIP calls as well as send messages (see Skype ). The service can also be expanded into a rudimentary social network , in this sense it is also a competitor to Mixi in Japan .
In contrast to Skype, for example, Line cannot be used on several devices at the same time, but only on one. When reinstalling on another, the possibility of using the same program on the previously used device is deactivated and vice versa.
From version 4.8 the app also offers a mobile payment and money transfer system with LINE Pay .
Line offers users a rudimentary social media homepage and chronicle. Both functions are currently not available for users who have registered with a German telephone number.
history
When the Japanese telephone network did not work well after the Tōhoku earthquake in 2011 , the Korean parent company Naver Corporation launched the free program Line for Android and iOS there and was able to celebrate spectacular successes all over Japan. Line Japan was later separated from other Naver activities such as B. Gaming split off and appears in Japanese from now on. Since then, the company has been marketing itself as an internationally successful Japanese company in the social web segment, even if it is still a subsidiary. As of mid-2014, the service had over 400 million registered customers.
End-to-end encryption has been preset at Line since July 2016 . In November 2018, Line entered into a cooperation with WeChat Pay .
Censorship in China
In May 2013 it became known that Line (or the app provider Lianwo behind it) had built a code into the mobile app that would recognize certain words and then make it impossible to send the associated message.
The original list of affected words consisted of 150 entries. Most of them related to current political events in China, human rights and generally sensitive political issues. In addition, a number of terms were also included, which at least currently did not reveal any explosive meaning. It is interesting to know that Line is also used internationally and that there is no censorship outside of China. However, if China is recognized as the country of origin during installation, the app automatically downloads the current censorship list and at the same time initiates the blocking of corresponding messages. The Citizen Lab , a facility at the University of Toronto , claims that it also has access to two other lists, of which "Version 20" contains 223 words and "Version 21" contains 370 words. Prominent representatives are, for example, the Tian'anmen massacre , Falun Gong and Wen Jiabao .
Line's approach is not an isolated case, but applies to many large companies in China, all of which, without exception, have to fear that the Chinese government will impose sanctions, including the suspension of all activities. Line currently has 280 million registered users and is the largest messaging app in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan in terms of market share. The Chinese market is the company's declared expansion target, which requires a benevolent attitude from the government.
criticism
In February 2014, Stiftung Warentest rated Line as “very critical” in terms of data protection. In her second test in August 2015, however , she rated Line as “satisfactory” when it came to “handling personal data”.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Download page for Android. In: line.me. Retrieved May 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Preview page for iOS. In: App Store (iOS) . Retrieved May 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Installation page for Windows 10 (Mobile) and Windows Phone. In: Windows Store . Retrieved December 6, 2018 .
- ↑ Preview page for macOS. In: Mac App Store . Retrieved May 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Carsten Drees: LINE Pay: Messenger now with mobile money transfer and payment system. In: mobilegeeks.de. November 16, 2014, accessed November 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Kakao Talk merges with Portal Daum. In: Handelsblatt Online . May 26, 2014, accessed March 10, 2016 .
- ↑ Hidden Chat users to enjoy "Letter Sealing" from July! In: Line Official Blog. June 30, 2016, accessed July 10, 2017 .
- ↑ Rita Liao: WeChat e-wallet teams up with Line to target Japan's 7M Chinese tourists. In: techcrunch.com . November 26, 2018, accessed December 3, 2018 .
- ↑ China: Chat app "Line" censors political words. In: gulli.com . November 15, 2013, accessed March 10, 2016 .
- ↑ WhatsApp and alternatives: data protection in the test. In: Stiftung Warentest . February 26, 2014, accessed February 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Messenger apps: An outsider beats WhatsApp & Co. In: Stiftung Warentest. August 14, 2015, accessed February 2, 2017 .