The government amended the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance last year to criminalize the act of defiance. Personal Data Privacy Commissioner Zhong Liling once said that a blacklist will be considered for the platform. The news pointed out that this move is especially aimed at Telegram, which has repeatedly released “bottom” information.
In view of the prevalence of hacking, the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Chung Lai-ling revealed at a meeting of the Legislative Council Committee on Constitutional Affairs yesterday (17th) that she is considering setting up a blacklist for platforms that have repeatedly uploaded hacking data. It is reported that the Telegram group that is commonly used by citizens will become a special target of the government. The platform adds more than 200 bottom-line messages every week, involving thousands of bottom-line messages. The PCPD has asked the platform to delete the relevant messages. , but often to no avail.
Fang Baoqiao: Cut toes to avoid sandworms
Since 2019, a lot of hacking messages in Hong Kong have also been sent from several groups in Telegram. Most of them involve political factors or the continuation of social movements. People who have been hacked include government officials, members of the Legislative Council, and ordinary citizens. It is understood that the PCPD is actively considering citing the power conferred by Section 66L of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance for the first time.
However, Fang Baoqiao, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Chamber of Commerce, said that blocking communication platforms is not easy technically, especially Telegram often changes IP addresses. The Russian government tried to block it in 2018, but it failed, so he called on the government to change it to Ask Telegram to remove the relevant “bottom” message. He also described the banning of Telegram as “cutting the toes to avoid sandworms”, which will harm citizens who use the platform correctly, and cause a certain degree of blow to the freedom of communication in Hong Kong. He called on the authorities to think twice before implementing it.
Originally published on AM730 https://www.am730.com.hk/local/Hong Kong government is rumored to block telegram in order to crack down on the bottom line-Fang Baoqiao-Cut toes to avoid sandworms/319911