PCPD

Subscribe to PCPD via RSS
Honk Kong Financial District

The guidance encourages organisations to formulate a data breach response plan, and outlines recommendations for handling an increasing number of data breach incidents.

By Kieran Donovan and Jacqueline Van

On 30 June 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong (PCPD) issued revised guidance titled “Guidance on Data Breach Handling And Data Breach Notifications” (the Guidance Note). While the Guidance Note broadly aligns with the last update in January 2019 (the 2019 Guidance), it also contains further details and recommendations to organisations on how to respond to data breaches.

The PCPD published the Guidance Note following a surge in reported data breach incidents, which have increased by more than 20% in the first half of this year compared to the second half of 2022.

The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data reminds organisations to review and implement appropriate data security measures amidst more data breaches.

By Kieran Donovan, Anthony Liu, and Jacqueline Van

On 13 February 2023, the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong (PCPD) published an article titled “Guidance on Data Security – Heightened Importance of Data Security Amid Increased Cyberthreats”. The article discusses the increasing trend of cyberattack incidents, identifies common vulnerabilities based on data incidents the PCPD has investigated, and sets out practical guidance for data security measures.

Hong Kong regulator declares that the disclosure of personal data of potential COVID-19 carriers is permissible under law.

By Kieran Donovan

COVID-19 is having a profound impact not only on the way the world interacts socially, but also in the way it interacts in business. Businesses are choosing to protect the health and well-being of their employees by vetting the travel histories and health status of visitors, as well as tracking potential COVID-19 carriers using social media.

Hong Kong’s data protection regulator, the Office of Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has recently published guidance considering the implications of these activities, as described below.

If adopted efficiently, the PCPD’s Ethical Accountability Framework should help organizations to demonstrate and enhance trust with individuals.

By Kieran Donovan

In October, 2018, Hong Kong’s Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) presented the findings of an inquiry into the ethics of data processing, commissioned by the PCPD with the help of the Information Accountability Foundation (IAF). The result of the inquiry, published as the Ethical Accountability Framework, provides an “instruction manual” for processing data in an ethical and accountable manner.

Following on the heels of the PCPD’s report, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued a Circular titled Use of Personal Data in Fintech Development, encouraging authorized institutions (AIs) to adopt the PCPD’s Ethical Accountability Framework.