User Information Working Group, 44th Meeting
Overview
Email deliberations were held from October 19 to 21, 2026. After members submitted their opinions and the businesses were consulted, the monitoring results on the handling of user information were finalized. Topics included checking users’ understanding, the scope of opt-outs, information collected through third parties, and the use of AI in ad delivery.
Key points
- Following email deliberations, the monitoring results on the handling of user information were finalized.
- Members gave opinions on users’ understanding, opt-outs, information collection through third parties, and the use of AI in ad delivery, among other topics.
- Sections of the businesses’ responses were kept unpublished because the businesses said they contained confidential information.
Overview
Deliberations were held by email from October 19 through October 21, 2026, on the agenda item “Draft monitoring results on the handling of user information.”
The chair, Yamamoto, was entrusted with finalizing the report; the draft was revised, and the monitoring results on the handling of user information were finalized.
Details
For review item 1-a, one opinion said that tracking viewed pages did not seem likely to cause privacy problems. Another proposed adding information on the circumstances of referrals, users’ understanding, and reasons for not considering the matter important. On review item 3, members said that allowing opt-outs only from advertising use, while users could not stop collection or uses other than advertising, did not meet user expectations; they especially raised the continuation of collection as a problem.
Regarding information collection through third parties, one opinion described TikTok’s practice of not linking information when users are not logged in or do not have an account as a model best practice.
For the FY2026 draft, one opinion called for clarifying how AI is used in ad delivery, particularly the actual use and provision of prompt information in conversational AI. For ongoing monitoring items, one opinion described Meta’s and TikTok’s practice of not linking information when users register accounts as a model response that meets ordinary user expectations. Another opinion said that some of Meta’s responses did not warrant being kept unpublished.
Regarding members’ opinions on the FY2026 draft, member Mori and member Lu each proposed revisions to their own opinions.
When consulted, the businesses responded that the unpublished sections included content related to trade secrets and other confidential information, as well as competitively sensitive information. The sections therefore remained unpublished.