PayPay is emerging as a key driver of a government-supported consumer shift away from cash as Japan grapples with deepening labour shortages and the need for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Late to payments, SoftBank drove the uptake of PayPay through cash-back campaigns. In one prominent example, it gave away 10 billion yen ($90 million) in 10 days.

“A government institution cannot collect personal information from a third party agent if that third party agent collected the information unlawfully,” Commissioner Daniel Therrien said in a statement.

Uganda’s designate minister of state for finance in charge of planning,. Amos Lugoloobi said the government has instead introduced a direct tax of 12 per cent on airtime and mobile internet data in the East African country. “I rationalize the excise duty regime on telecommunication services by scrapping the excise duty on Over-The-Top (OTT) and introduce a harmonized excise duty rate of 12 per cent on airtime, value-added services and internet data excluding data for the provision of medical services and the provision of education services,” said Lugoloobi.