Notice on the Recording and Use of Video and Driving Data on Public Roads and Other Locations

Date last revised: November 1, 2026

Purpose and Scope of this Notice

This Notice explains the handling of information that constitutes personal information among the video, audio, driving data and sensor data that TIER IV, Inc. (“we”, “us” or “our”) collects, itself or through outsourcing contractors, on public roads, private land, test sites and other locations in Japan (including inside vehicles) for the research, development, demonstration, evaluation and safety improvement of autonomous driving systems and related products and services and for other purposes, and for which we are responsible as a business operator handling personal information. This Notice is published, in light of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (the “APPI”) and the guidelines and other materials of the Personal Information Protection Commission, as an independent Specific Notice supplementing the “TIER IV Privacy Policy” and “Local Deviations - Japan”. In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between this Notice and those documents, this Notice prevails with respect to the handling covered by this Notice.

Business Operator Handling Personal Information

The business operator handling personal information responsible under the APPI for the handling covered by this Notice is TIER IV, Inc. Where a customer, local government, university or research institution, joint research partner or other third party determines the purposes and means of the recording and measurement or of the subsequent use independently of us, that third party is responsible for its own handling, and that third party’s privacy notice and other applicable information apply.

TIER IV, Inc.
Jacom Building, 1-12-10 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001, Japan
Information on the representative is available here.

Who Conducts the Recording and Measurement, and How

We, or persons entrusted by us, may conduct recording and measurement (including audio recording; the same applies hereinafter) using cameras, LiDAR, radar, GNSS, IMU and other sensors installed inside and outside vehicles, devices that record in-vehicle audio, on-board computers, operation management systems and other devices and systems. The methods of recording and measurement, the target areas, the periods and the devices used vary depending on the project.

Information We Collect

Images and video: visual information relating to individuals, such as the appearance, behavior and clothing of pedestrians, drivers, passengers, cyclists and others, and vehicle license plates, recorded by cameras inside and outside vehicles and other devices
Audio: in-vehicle audio information linked to individuals, such as speech of drivers, operators, vehicle occupants and others, recorded by devices installed in vehicles or other devices
Location, time, operation and vehicle usage information: where linked to drivers, operators, vehicle occupants or others, location determined by GNSS or other means, driving routes, times, speed, direction of travel, vehicle behavior, control operations, vehicle operation information, vehicle IDs and other information
Personal information contained in sensor data and logs: the appearance, location and behavior of individuals, vehicle license plates, user or account identifiers and other information linked to individuals or to their use or operations, contained in data from cameras, LiDAR or other sensors or in system logs
Processed and derived information: annotations, labels, detection and tracking results, evaluation results and other derived information generated from the above personal information and linked to an identified or identifiable individual

Recording and measurement data concerning roads, lanes, signs, traffic signals, buildings, obstacles, LiDAR point clouds, calibration information and the like that does not relate to an identified or identifiable natural person is not included in personal information for purposes of this Notice. However, where such data becomes linked to an individual, for example by being combined with other information, we handle it as personal information in accordance with applicable law.
Information collected on public roads and other locations may incidentally include personal information relating to unspecified pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and others. In addition, drivers, operators, passengers and other vehicle occupants may be recorded or measured by cameras and other devices installed inside vehicles. We do not ordinarily aim to identify specific individuals as such.
Video collected on public roads and other locations may include special care-required personal information that becomes apparent from the external appearance of an individual when the individual is recorded. Pursuant to Article 9, item (i) of the Cabinet Order to Enforce the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, the prior consent of the individual is not required for such acquisition; however, we handle such information, too, within the scope of the purposes of use described in this Notice and take the necessary security control measures.
Information collected on public roads and other locations may incidentally include personal information relating to minors. We do not conduct recording or measurement targeting minors, nor do we intend to single out and handle the personal information of minors.

Purposes of Use

Research, development, training, evaluation, validation and quality improvement of autonomous driving and driver assistance systems, in-vehicle software, AI and ML models, maps, scenarios and simulations
Collection, search, analysis, conversion, annotation and quality checking of driving data, and creation, provision and management of datasets for training and evaluation
Safety evaluation, and reproduction, investigation, cause analysis, remediation and prevention of recurrence of accidents, near misses, anomalies, malfunctions, false positives and false negatives and other events
Vehicle and operation management, tracking, system operation, failure response and other operational processing required to the extent linked to personal information
Field trials, joint research, contract development, customer projects and compliance with laws and regulatory requirements relating to autonomous driving
Blurring, masking, pseudonymization, anonymization and other privacy-protective processing, and research and development, statistics and analysis using information after such processing
Establishment, exercise or defense of our rights or those of third parties, insurance, audit, information security and legal compliance

To the extent necessary for the above purposes, we may have the collected information handled by providers of cloud, hosting, data analysis, annotation, blurring and masking, security, maintenance and other services, or provide it to customers, OEMs, local governments, universities and research institutions, joint research partners, consortia and their member companies, field trial operators and other project stakeholders (which may include parties located in a foreign country).

Blurring, Masking, Pseudonymization and Anonymization

Depending on the purposes of the handling, technical feasibility and the risks to individuals, we may apply blurring, masking, access restrictions, pseudonymization, anonymization or other measures to faces, vehicle license plates, voices and other identifying elements. However, for the analysis of accidents and malfunctions, safety evaluation, the development of AI and ML models and other purposes, we may use raw data or information containing identifying elements for the necessary period. Where we create anonymously processed information, pseudonymously processed information or information from which individuals cannot reasonably be identified, we handle it in accordance with applicable law.

Security Control Measures

To protect the personal data covered by this Notice against leakage, loss or damage, unauthorized access and other risks, we take necessary and appropriate organizational, human, physical and technical security control measures according to the nature and volume of the information, the method of handling and the risks. For an overview of our security control measures, please also refer to “Security Control Measures We Have Taken” in “Local Deviations - Japan”.

Retention Period and Deletion

Personal information covered by this Notice is retained for the period reasonably necessary for research and development, safety evaluation, contracts, compliance with laws, audits, accident investigations and responding to legal claims. In determining retention periods, we take into account the duration of the project, the type and sensitivity of the information, the needs of research and development and safety validation, statutory retention obligations and the risks to individuals. Personal information that is no longer needed for the purposes of use is deleted, anonymized or rendered unusable in accordance with applicable law and our procedures.

Information on Recording Areas, Periods and Projects

Taking into account the nature and scale of the recording and measurement and its impact on individuals, we provide, as necessary, information on the target areas, periods, vehicles, project overviews or how to make inquiries, through our website or project pages, on-site signage, announcements by local governments or operators, markings on vehicles, signage inside vehicles or other reasonable and appropriate means.

Requests from Individuals

Where the requirements under the APPI are met, you or your duly authorized agent may request notification of the purposes of use, disclosure, correction, addition, deletion, cessation of use, erasure or cessation of provision to third parties with respect to retained personal data or records of provision to third parties held by us. For details of the request procedures, please refer to “Requests for Disclosure, etc. of Retained Personal Data” in “Local Deviations - Japan”.

Contact Us

TIER IV, Inc. Personal Information Contact Desk
Jacom Building, 1-12-10 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001, Japan
Email: personalinfo@tier4.jp