Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong

The guidance outlines steps that organizations should take to enhance data security as hybrid working and learning introduce new risks.

By Kieran Donovan and Malika Sajdik

On August 30, 2022, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong (PCPD) issued a Guidance Note on Data Security Measures for Information and Communications Technology (the Guidance Note).

The Guidance Note was published in light of the “new normal” of hybrid working and learning, which has heightened personal data security risks from the increased digitization of data and use of information and communications technology (ICT). In 2021, the PCPD received a total of 140 personal data breach notifications from organizations, representing a year-on-year increase of 36%, and in the first seven months of 2022 alone, the PCPD received 68 data breach notifications. Common incidents reported included hacking, unauthorized access to personal data by employees, loss of documents or portable devices, and inadvertent disclosure of personal data via email.