PayPay Corporation, a joint venture between Softbank Group Corp., Softbank Corp., and Yahoo Japan Corporation, shall, as a COVID-19 tech partner to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, start providing the “Tokyo COVID-19 Tracking Service” in the “PayPay” app as of June 27, 2020.
By using this service, users will be able to receive information based on their payment history such as the name of the store and date & time of the cluster infection as a notification from “PayPay” in the event that a COVID-19 cluster infection occurs at any merchant’s store within Tokyo at which the user has made a payment using “PayPay”, provided that the user has given consent within the “PayPay” app to receive notifications on the occurrence of cluster infections (*). No personal information, including the fact that the user has signed-up for this service or has received notifications about the occurrence of cluster infections, will be passed on to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The provision of this service will be terminated once the COVID-19 infection ends, such as when a vaccine is developed.
* PayPaywill come to know of the store information and date &time of the cluster infection based on what is declared by the merchant.This information – the store name and date & time of the cluster infection – will be provided only to the applicable users.
■Steps to give consent to notifications on cluster infections
Tap on the “COVID Tracker” icon from the list of features within the PayPay app
Read the terms of service and tap on Agree or Disagree (*)
Once consent is provided, users will start receiving notifications from PayPay, based on their payment history, in the event that a cluster infection occurs in any of the stores they have made a payment in using “PayPay”
* the notification settings can be changed at anytime in the PayPay app
Tokyo has currently moved on to “Step 3” in the roadmp to conquer COVID-19, allowing a full-scale re-opening of various facilities as of June 19, 2020, and as a result, there are more people back out on the streets. This service will help the early detection of inections risks when a cluster infection occurs, enabling users to contact the health center at an early stage and prevent infecting others with COVID-19.
PayPaywill leverage the “PayPay” platform which has over 29 million users to strive to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
■Main features of “PayPay”
“PayPay”, a smart phone payment service provided by PayPay Corporation, allows users to pay by either topping-up their PayPay balance in advance or by using their credit card, and can be used in both brick-and-mortar stores and with online services. PayPay is supported not only by major chain businesses, but is rapidly becoming available in smaller shops all across Japan. Users can top-up their PayPay balance using their bank account, online, or from a nearby Seven Bank ATM. There are a variety of features provided in addition, such as to “send/receive” PayPay balance (PayPay Money, PayPay Money Light) between users, or to split the bill (“Warikan”), convenient in a social meal setting.
*Company names, store names, product names, and service names contained in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.
