Privacy Policy for the “TechHub” website

This Privacy Policy sets out how Sony Group Corporation, of 7-1 Konan 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan (“Sony”, “we”, “our” or “us”) collects uses, stores and otherwise processes the Collected Data (defined below) through certain subpages of https://techhub.developer.sony.com/ (“Website”), online activities described below, and any other activities or offerings that post a link to this Privacy Policy. It also describes your data protection rights, including a right to object to some of the processing which Sony carries out. More information about your rights, and how to exercise them, is set out in Section 8 "Privacy Rights" or in Section 10 "Contact Information" below.

Other websites or properties of Sony Group Companies including some that are linked to/from the Website, may have different privacy policies; and some of the subpages of this Website may have additional privacy notices to cover activity not covered by this Privacy Policy: therefore, please review the privacy policy or privacy notices on those websites or properties if you visit them.

Please note that this Privacy Policy only applies to this website and is applied in addition to any other privacy policy that may apply to your interactions with any Sony affiliate and subsidiary (“Sony Group Companies”) or third party regarding their product, software or service.

This Privacy Policy explains the types of information that we may collect and hold, how that information is used and with whom the information is shared. It also sets out how you can contact us if you have any queries or concerns about this information.

Data protection laws and regulations in certain jurisdictions defines the concepts of "controller" and "processor". Unless we specifically state otherwise, Sony is the "controller" of the Collected Data described in this Privacy Policy.

"Sony Group Companies" shall mean any legal entities controlled by Sony (the term "control" in this context means the direct or indirect ownership of at least fifty percent (50%) of the voting interest in such corporation or the power in fact to control the management decisions of such entity).

For our use of Cookies and similar technologies, please also see our Cookie Policy.

1. What personal information we collect

Sony collects data as described below which may include personal information (collectively, the "Collected Data") related to your use of the Website.

Information we collect automatically about your devices you use to access the Website

Sony may automatically collect your IP address or other unique identifiers for the computer, mobile device, or other device you use to access to the Website.

Information related to contact and support interactions with us

When you contact Sony for business inquiries about TechHub or other services, as well as to obtain product or service support, we may collect your personal information, such as name, email address, your company name, etc.

Information collected in relation to social networks

You may be required to have a social network account in order to log into some applications on the Website. In this case, we may receive some of the credentials associated with your social network account, but this will depend on the privacy policy of such social network, and what your privacy settings permit us to see your information when you use their social network accounts to access the application on the Website. Please review the social network’s privacy policy to understand how it uses your information.

2. Why we process personal information

The purposes for which we use Collected Data, and the legal bases for such processing, are as follows:

(i) To provide the functionality of the Website to you

Sony may processes Collected Data in order to provide the functionality of the Website, this includes authenticating your access to some applications on the Website, responding to your inquiries and fulfilling your requests, such as sending you documents or email notifications that you have requested, and sending you important information about TechHub or other services, changes to our terms, conditions, and policies, and/or other administrative information. The legal basis for the processing above is the legitimate interest of Sony.

(ii) To improve and develop products and services

Sony may process Collected Data to improve the functionality and user experience of the Website (including applications thereon). The information may also be used to develop new websites and applications by helping us understand the way you use them, so that we can provide improved user experiences today and/or in the future. The legal basis for the processing above is the legitimate interest of Sony.

(iii) To protect the interests of Sony Group Companies and website visitors

Sony may process Collected Data to protect the Sony Group Companies, their business interests and legal rights and website visitors. This includes the use of Collected Data in connection with legal claims, compliance, regulatory, auditing, investigative purposes (including disclosure of such information in connection with legal process or litigation). The legal basis for the processing above is the legitimate interest of Sony.

(iv) To manage security or technical issues

Sony may process Collected Data to detect, prevent, address and analyze security or technical issues in relation to the Website (include application thereon). The legal basis for the processing above is the legitimate interest of Sony.

(v) To comply with law

Sony may process Collected Data to comply with applicable law and regulations, this includes responding to requests from government or public authorities, law enforcement officials, courts, regulators or similar in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations under applicable laws. The legal basis for the above is that the processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation.

3. How we share your personal information

We may share Collected Data with third parties as follows:

(i) Sony Group Companies

We may share Collected Data with Sony Group Companies to the extent such sharing of data is necessary to fulfil a request you have submitted and/or for customer support, technical operations, account management purposes.

(ii) Third-party contractors

We may share Collected Data with third-party contractors who provide services such as IT and system administration and hosting, research and analytics, moderation and safety assistance, customer support for the purposes described in Section 2 above.

(iii) Business transfer

In the event that we undertake a merger, acquisition, reorganization or disposal, Collected Data may be transferred to the purchasing or acquiring entity as part of the transaction.

(iv) Government authorities, law enforcement officials, regulators, courts and similar

We may share Collected Data with government authorities, law enforcement officials, regulators, courts and similar for the purposes described in Section 2 above.

(v) Professional advisers

In individual instances, we may share Collected Data with professional advisers including lawyers, bankers, auditors, and insurers who provide consultancy, banking, legal, insurance and accounting services.

Since we operate as part of a global business, the recipients referred to above may be located outside the jurisdiction in which you are located. See the Section 5 below for more information.

4. How long we retain your personal information

We retain Collected Data for as long as we continue to make the Website available to visitors, and for a further 6 months following discontinuation, at which point the information will either be anonymized or destroyed. Please note that we may be required to retain certain information by law.

5. International transfers of personal information

Collected Data may be processed, stored and transferred for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy from your country to countries which may not be regarded as providing the same level of data protection as your country.

We will put in place appropriate safeguards (such as contractual commitments) to ensure that Collected Data is adequately protected and transfers of Collected Data meet the requirements of any applicable data protection legislation such as the EU standard contractual clauses. For more information on the appropriate safeguards in place, please contact us as described in Section 10 "Contact Information" below.

6. Security

Sony undertakes reasonable security measures designed to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of Collected Data. Although we strive to protect Collected Data, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information transmitted to us through your use of the Website or that we store on our systems or that is stored on our third-party contractors' systems.

7. Our policy regarding children

Sony is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations regarding the collection, storage and use of personal information concerning children. The Website is not directed to and does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18. Depending on your country/region of residence, this threshold age for a child may differ. 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 processes about you. These may include the right to request a copy of the Collected Data that Sony holds about you and/or you may request that Sony corrects, deletes, blocks/restricts processing of such Collected Data. You may also object to Sony's processing of Collected Data. In some countries, you may also ask us to provide your Collected Data to you in a structured, machine-readable format and ask us to share (port) such data with another organisation. These rights may be limited, for example, if fulfilling your request would reveal Collected Data about another person, or if you ask us to delete Information 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 Collected Data, you have a right to lodge a complaint with your national or any other data protection supervisory authority.

Where we collect Collected Data to administer our contract with, this is mandatory and we will not be able to provide services to you without this information. In all other cases, provision of the requested Collected Data is optional, but this may affect your ability to use the services or use particular aspects of the services where the information is needed for those purposes.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time for any reason. We will notify or request your consent (if necessary under applicable law) of any changes to this Privacy Policy.

10. Contact information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to exercise any legal right you may have in respect of your personal information, please contact us.

11. ADDITIONAL NOTICES - US STATE RIGHTS

Notice to Virginia Residents:

We set forth above in our Privacy Policy the categories of personal data we process, the purpose for processing personal data, the categories of personal data shared, and the categories of third parties with whom personal data is shared.

Virginia Consumers have the following rights with respect to their personal data subject to the meanings and exceptions set forth in the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act ("VCDPA"):

If you are a Virginia Consumer and would like to exercise any of these rights, please complete the form here: Data Requests.

Opt-out of Targeted Advertising: Virginia Consumers have the right to opt-out out of the processing of your Personal Data for the purposes of targeted advertising. Sony engages in online advertising and analytics practices that may be considered "targeted advertising" under the VCDPA. To exercise your rights to opt-out of targeted advertising, you may submit a request here: Opt-out of Targeted Advertising.

In addition, you may need to disable sharing through cookies set by 3rd parties on certain Sony websites which may be considered targeted advertising under the VCDPA. To manage your cookie preferences, please refer to the

"Manage Cookies" link on the cookie banner or in the footer for the applicable website and ensure that "Targeting Cookies" are disabled.

While the VCDPA also permits you to opt-out of the sale of your Personal Data, at this time we do not engage in the sale of Personal Data to third parties for monetary compensation. Similarly, we do not process your Personal Data for purposes of profiling as set forth in the VCDPA that would require such an opt-out.

VCDPA Appeals

Pursuant to the VCDPA, if, for any reason, you would like to appeal a decision made by us relating to your request, you have the right to submit an appeal and can do so by completing this form: Data Requests . Please include your full name, the basis for your appeal, and any additional information to consider.

Notice to California Residents

This California Privacy Notice is effective as of [Date].

This California Privacy Notice supplements our Privacy Policy and applies only to California residents. This notice sets forth the disclosures and rights for California Consumers regarding their personal information, as required by the California Privacy Rights Act and any implementing regulations adopted thereunder ("CPRA"). Terms (including defined capitalized terms) used in this California Privacy Notice have the same meanings given in the CPRA, unless otherwise defined.

California Consumer Rights. Subject to certain exceptions, as a California consumer, you may have the following rights regarding your CA Personal Information:

"Limit the Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information." Under the CPRA, we must only provide the Right to Limit the Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information when Sensitive Personal Information is collected or processed for the purpose of inferring characteristics about a consumer or does not fall under certain statutory exceptions. Sony's use and disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information is not used for such purposes and/or falls within the statutory exceptions, and we therefore do not offer this right at this time.

Verifying Requests. In your request, you must provide enough information to allow us to verify you are the person about whom we collected Personal Information, or their authorized representative. You must also describe your request with enough detail so that we can understand, evaluate and respond to it. We can't respond to your request if we can't verify your identity. Making such a request does not require you to create an account with us, and we will only use the information you provide in a request to verify your identity.

We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity based upon the information you provide and the type of request you are making. When you exercise your Right to Know, Right to Delete, and/or Right to Correct, we may ask that you provide us with additional information in order to verify your identity and fulfill your request. If we are unable to verify that the individual submitting the request is the same individual about whom we have collected information (or someone authorized by that individual to act on their behalf), we will not be able to process the request.

Pursuant to the CPRA, we will not require you to verify your identity, beyond asking for the information necessary to complete your request, when you exercise your Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing.

Agents. If you are an authorized representative submitting a request on a consumer's behalf, please complete the applicable fields of information in the submission form. We will follow up to request a signed, written permission signed by the individual who is the subject of the request authorizing you to make the request on their behalf. The written permission must state your full legal name, the full legal name of the individual who is the subject of the request, and a clear description of the permission granted. Alternatively, you may submit a copy of a power of attorney under Probate Code sections 4000-4465. The consumer's identity, in addition to your own, will need to be independently verified in order for us to be able to fulfill your request. Please keep in mind that if we do not receive adequate proof that you are authorized to act on the consumer's behalf, we may deny the request.

Exercising your Rights

Right to Know; Right to Delete; Right to Correct

If you are a California Consumer and would like to exercise your Right to Know, Right to Delete, and/or Right to Correct, please submit your request at: Data Requests; or you may call us toll-free at 1-833-681-9900.

For requests to know, in order to have us provide specific pieces of information, we will require a signed declaration under penalty of perjury that you are the consumer whose Personal Information is the subject of the request.

Do Not Sell or Share for Cross Context Behavioral Advertising

Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing

California Consumers have the right to opt-out of the sharing of your Personal Information to a third party for cross-context behavioral advertising (i.e., targeted advertising). California Consumers also have the right to opt-out of the "sale" of your Personal Information for monetary or other valuable consideration. Please note that we do not sell Personal Information for monetary or other valuable consideration. If you are a California Consumer and would like exercise your Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing, please submit your request at: Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.

Cookie Based Opt-Outs for Do Not Sell or Share for Cross Context Behavioral Advertising

Sony engages in online advertising practices (and certain analytics or similar activities), which may be considered a “sale” or “share” for cross-context behavioral advertising as defined in the CPRA. In addition to submitting the form above, you may need to disable sharing through cookies set by 3rd parties on certain Sony websites. To manage your cookie preferences, please refer to the “Manage Cookies” link in the cookie banner or footer for the applicable website and ensure that “Targeting Cookies” are disabled.

Data Retention

We retain all categories of Personal Information described in this California Privacy Notice for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes outlined in this California Privacy Notice, considering the time period reasonably necessary to: provide the goods or services you request; exercise the choices and rights you have requested; comply with our contractual obligations; comply with applicable legal, regulatory, or other obligations; including litigation holds and agency regulations. Except as noted differently specific pages or apps, we retain your personal information while you have an account with us, or while you are using the Website or continuing to interact with us.

Right to Non-Discrimination for the Exercise of a Consumer's Privacy Rights

California Consumers have the right to not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising CPRA rights. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CPRA rights.

Notice of Financial Incentive

Under California regulations, if we offer certain loyalty or similar program(s) directly or reasonably related to the collection, retention or deletion of your Personal Information, such program may be considered a "financial incentive", In such case, we will be required to make additional disclosures to you, which we will provide when you agree to participate

Personal Information We Collect & Purposes for Collection

The Personal Information we collect about you will depend upon how you use the Website or otherwise interact with us. Accordingly, we may not collect all of the below information about you. In addition to the below, we may collect and/or use additional types of information and will do so after providing notice to you and obtaining your consent to the extent such notice and consent is required by the CPRA.

We may have used Personal Information for the following business or commercial purposes: 

Additional Notice to California Residents:

If you are a California resident, under the California "Shine the Light" law, you have the right to receive: (a) information identifying any third party companies to which we may have disclosed, within the past year, personal information pertaining to you and your family for that company's direct marketing purposes; and (b) a description of the categories of personal information disclosed. To obtain such information, please email your request to privacy@am.sony.com, and include your name, email address, mailing address or zip code, and a reference to "Your California Privacy Rights." We are not responsible for requests that are not labeled or sent properly, or do not have complete information.

 Effective Date: 11/11/2024