SONY

Privacy Policy for [Sony account (Sony’s Cloud Service for Home Entertainment & Sound Products)]

Last Updated: 7/10/2024


This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and/or store your personal data in connection with your [Sony account (Sony’s Cloud Service for Home Entertainment & Sound Products)] (“Account”). It also describes your data protection rights, including your right to object to some of the processing which we carry out. More information about your rights, and how to exercise them, is set out in Section 8. Privacy Rights below.


By “we” “us” or “our”, we mean Sony Corporation (1-7-1, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan) (“Sony”), which is a Sony group company. For the purposes of applicable data protection laws and regulations where the concepts of "controller" and “processor” are defined, Sony is the "controller" of the Collected Data described in this Privacy Policy.


In order to use certain Sony applications or application features, you will need to maintain this Account.


This privacy policy only applies to this Account service and is in addition to any other privacy policy that may apply to your interactions with the Sony group companies or any third party, regarding their products, software or services.


In this Privacy Policy, when we say:

“Sony group companies”, we mean Sony Group Corporation or the ultimate parent company of Sony and any company or legal entity that is controlled by the ultimate parent company of Sony.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

  • Sony uses the Collected Data to provide the Account. Please read Section 1. What personal data does Sony collect in connection with the Account and Section 2. How Sony uses the Collected Data to learn more about this.
  • You have certain rights, which may include a right to object to some of the processing which Sony carries out. Please read Section 8. Privacy Rights to learn more about this.
  • We disclose the Collected Data when we engage Sony group companies or a third party to process data on our behalf, when such sharing is required by law or in certain other situations. Please read Section 3. Who else has access to the Collected Data to learn more about this.
  • The Collected Data may be transferred out of your home country/region to the United States, Japan, and other jurisdictions that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country/region. Please read Section 5. International Transfer of Collected Data to learn more about this.

1. What personal data does Sony collect in connection with the Account

We collect following information in addition to information about your usage of the website of the Account (access status, etc.), some of which may be considered personal information in certain jurisdictions (collectively, the “Collected Data”).


(A) Basic information

When you create the Account, Sony will collect the following:

  • Name
  • Email address;
  • Password;
  • Date of birth;
  • Country/Region; and
  • Language preferences.

Please be aware that when you have another Sony account(s) for other Sony group companies’ Sony products and services and you use the same sign-in ID (email address) and password to sign in to this Account, the accounts will be linked automatically and you will be able to sign in to this Account with the same sign-in ID (email address) and password. For more information about linking accounts, please go: https://acm.account.sony.com/linking-account


For password management/reset and authentication, you can also register a security question and answer and cellphone number at the Account security setting page. This Collected Data is not used for any other purpose.


(B) Information related to authentication/authorization

When you use the Account, Sony will use cookies, tokens, and other technologies to collect credentials (information issued to identify customers, such as a combination of random alphanumeric characters) necessary for authentication and authorization with this Account.

2. How Sony uses Collected Data

(A) Providing services

Sony processes Collected Data in order to perform its contract with you to:

  • Create, maintain and control your Account;
  • Linking your TV, mobile or application ("Device”) and the Account; and
  • Respond to your inquiry about the Account.

(B) Email Marketing

With your consent, Sony will for this purpose collect and share your Collected Data (except for information about your usage of the website of the Account (access status, etc.), tokens issued as a result of sign-in authentication and ID provider service that you choose) with Sony (China) Limited.

With your consent, Sony (China) Limited will provide you with information, recommendations and advertisements, and marketing regarding Sony group companies’ products, services and other offerings that may be of interest to you via email.


Please note that the Collected Data may be combined with usage data from the applicable application or service you use so that this email marketing may be personalized or tailored to provide you new product information, articles, offers, promotions, and recommendations about Sony group companies’ products, services and other offerings that may be of interest to you. With your above consent Sony will for this purpose share Collected Data as per your preferences (set by you in the respective product app) with Sony (China) Limited.


You can access the privacy policy of Sony (China) Limited at:

https://www.sony.com.cn/privacy/terms.html

3. Who else has access to Collected Data?

Sony will make Collected Data available to third party as below:


Sony group companies

If you contact your Sony group company in relation to queries or for repair or return requests of Sony group companies’ products, we also may need to share Collected Data with that Sony group company in connection with your request.


For the purposes stipulated in section 2(B) Email Marketing, Sony may also make Collected data available to Sony (China) Limited.


Third-party service providers

Sony may use Sony group companies and third party service providers to process the Collected Data. Our service providers include customer support vendors, IT vendors and data hosting vendors, including Amazon Web Services, Inc., which provides data back-up services to us and is located in the US. The service providers are engaged for the purposes of pursuing the activities outlined in this Privacy Policy on Sony’s behalf, acting as processors of Sony.


Business transfer

In the event that we sell or transfer a portion or all of our business, Collected Data may be transferred by us to the purchasing or acquiring entity as part of the transaction. We will continue to ensure the confidentiality of the Collected Data before such transaction occurs, and after such transaction, we will delete the Collected Data as soon as reasonably practicable after such transaction.


Compliance and enforcement

We will retain, use and/or disclose any of Collected Data as required or permitted by law, regulation or order, including to the police or other appropriate authorities, to investigate complaints made by or against you, or to protect or defend ourselves, Sony group companies or third parties, against illegal, criminal or harmful activities.

4. Data Retention, Managing Collected Data

We will continue to retain Collected Data for 6 months after you delete the Account unless local law tells us to keep it for longer. Please note that we may be required to retain certain information by law.

Where Sony no longer requires the Collected Data, it will be destroyed or de-identified in line with internal Sony information security policies. When we say de-identified, we mean that we will remove information that could be used to identify you from the Collected Data.

5. International Transfer of Collected Data

Collected Data will be processed, stored and transferred for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy to various jurisdictions outside your jurisdiction of residence, including Japan and the US. Collected Data will be processed by staff operating outside your jurisdiction who work for us or for one of our service providers and may be seen by such staff in those countries.

By providing us with the Collected Data, you consent to the transfer, processing and storage of your information in jurisdictions in which the privacy laws may not be as comprehensive as those in the country where you reside and/or are a citizen. Further, courts, law enforcement, and other authorities in countries/regions outside your residence may be entitled to access Collected Data upon its transfer. We have taken reasonable steps to ensure that any transfers of Collected Data meet the requirement of applicable data protection legislation and that your personal information will not be used for purposes not relevant to the purpose for which it was collected or communicated to service providers without your consent except when required or permitted by law.

6. Security

Sony undertakes reasonable security measures designed to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of Collected Data. We take information security very seriously but we cannot guarantee or warrant the absolute security of any information that we store on our systems or that is stored on our third party contractors’ systems.

7. Children’s privacy

Sony is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations regarding the collection, storage and use of personal information concerning children, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act in the United States and applicable local legislation in other countries.


This Account is intended for a general audience; it is not directed to and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 14 in the case of residents in China.


If you are a parent or guardian and are concerned that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, you should contact us as indicated in Section 10. Contact Information below.

8. Privacy Rights

In some countries, you have certain rights with respect to the Collected Data Sony holds about you. These may include the right to request a copy of the Collected Data that Sony or Sony group companies holds about you and/or you may request that Sony or the Sony group companies, corrects, amends, deletes, erases, destroys, objects or blocks/restrict processing and/or use of such Collected Data if it is inaccurate. In some countries, you may also ask us to provide some types of the Collected Data to you in a structured, machine-readable format and ask us to share (port) such data with another controller. These rights may be limited, for example if fulfilling your request would reveal personal data about another person, or if you ask us to delete Collected Data which we are required by law to keep, or have compelling legitimate interests in keeping. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us as described in Section 10. Contact Information below. If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your questions, concerns or have any complaints about how we process personal data, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the local data protection supervisory authority.

If you reside in China, you may have the following rights under Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China ("PIPL”):

  • You have the right to request a copy of the Collected Data that Sony or Sony group companies hold about you (Art. 45 para 1 PIPL). You may also ask us to provide some types of the Collected Data to you, or another organization nominated by you, in a structured and machine-readable format (Art. 45 para 3 PIPL).
  • You may request that Sony or the Sony group companies correct or supplement such Collected Data if it is inaccurate or incomplete (Art. 46 para 1 PIPL).
  • In addition, you may request that Sony or the Sony group companies delete the Collected Data under the following circumstances (Art. 47 PIPL):

    A) when Sony or the Sony group companies’ processing purpose has been achieved, cannot be achieved, or is no longer necessary to achieve the processing purpose;
    B) when Sony or the Sony group companies cease to provide the products or services, or the retention period has expired;
    C) when you withdraw your consent;
    D) when Sony or the Sony group companies process the Collected Data in violation of laws and regulations or agreements with you; and
    E) Other circumstances stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Sony at www.sony.net/SonyInfo/Support/.


If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your questions, concerns or have any complaints about how we process personal data, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the departments fulfilling personal information protection duties and responsibilities (Art. 65 para 1 PIPL).

9. Changes

From time to time we may have to update this Privacy Policy. We will let you know of any material changes to this Privacy Policy through the Account. If the applicable law requires us to obtain your consent, we will ask you for your consent.

10. Contact Information

If you have a privacy concern, complaint or question, please contact Sony (China) Limited at SChina_Privacy_Dep@sony.com