The Taiwan branch of Japan’s Line Corp, the creator of the popular social messaging app Line, has reportedly been approached by both the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) with requests for the app to be used as a tool for them to gain access to the younger, more tech-savvy generation.
The company has turned down their requests because of its policy of not getting involved in politics, according to a report in the Chinese-language Apple Daily on Monday.
Taiwan is Line’s third-largest market, with more than 17 million registered users.
Many companies and governmental organizations have also approached the company in the hope of using the increasingly popular app to project a positive image to the public.
The DPP and KMT reportedly asked Line Corp about the possibility of cooperation in the form of the parties being allowed to use the app’s free memes and pictures in their campaigns, the report said.
It quoted Line Corp Taiwan’s marketing and sales director Yang Wen-ching (楊文菁) as saying that the company carefully reviews all applications to use the app’s memes, pictures and official accounts.
Yang was quoted as saying that the company does not do business with political parties or political figures — and shies away from possibly controversial subjects such as religion and medical issues — because the policy handed down by the Japanese parent is to avoid politics, the report said.
The report also estimated that the market value of related companies’ memes, pictures and official accounts is about NT$1 million (US$33,257).
Additional reporting by staff writer
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