Hong Kong has started significant action against doxxing.
According to the latest statistics published by the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection (PCPD), as of June 30, 2022, over 890 notices of cessation of business activity were issued on 17 online platforms based on the new anti-doxxing provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (UODO). Additionally, 17 online platforms were requested to remove media content related to doxxing.
Why is this important to you?
The anti-doxxing acts within the set of legal provisions of the UODO entered into force on October 8, 2021. It follows that only during the first eight months of the Act's functioning, an average of over 100 termination notices were issued each month related to the cessation of activity. The statistics presented above show that doxxing is currently the main area of interest and target of regulators in Hong Kong.
PCPD is authorized by law to request the removal of any doxxing content by a person or company in Hong Kong, and additionally by non-Hong Kong service providers. Legal regulations in this area determine that the notification system related to the cessation of activity has extraterritorial effect outside of Hong Kong. All online platform operators should be prepared on how to behave in the event that the PCPD serves a notice, as failure to comply with the notice may lead to criminal sanctions, including up to two years in prison.
