bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Ada Lee

Simpson Cheung

The Immigration Department has lost three notebook computers containing the personal data of 3,000 travellers. No Hongkongers are among the affected.
Officials suspected the computers, used in immigration control at Chek Lap Kok airport, had been stolen. The loss was reported on Wednesday, a department spokesman said.
The department reported to the police yesterday and set up a task force to review the security of all of its mobile devices that contained personal data, Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said.
Lai said he was "very concerned" about the suspected theft.
Other computer systems in the department were unlikely to be affected as the missing computers belonged to a standalone network, the spokesman said.
As well, data on the devices had been encrypted and multiple authentications were required to log in to the network. "It is unlikely that the said data will be compromised," he said.
It was understood that the computers were located in an office room that would be locked whenever staff members left.
The devices contained the passport data of selected passengers in transit whose passports were scanned when they arrived. The network stores the data for a short period of time.
A preliminary assessment showed about 3,000 visitors were involved, but no Hong Kong passengers were affected, the spokesman said.
The department said it had notified the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of the data breach, and had implemented a series of measures to strengthen the security of the concerned computer network. It had also reminded its frontline workers to adhere strictly to the department's security guidelines, it said.
The task force, headed by the deputy director of immigration, was due to hand in a report to immigration director Eric Chan Kwok-ki in three months, giving recommendations to avoid a repeat of the incident.
Similar incidents have occurred in the disciplined services. Sheung Shui police station lost 79 permits of cross-border pupils in August, while a customs officer lost an unencrypted USB flash drive last year that contained more than 400 documents, some with suspects' details.


Hong Kong lawmakers ask for closure of potential loophole that could let some professionals escape penalty for failure to report child abuse

Hong Kong fire safety orders from 16 years ago not complied with at building where blaze erupted, killing 5

‘Rebuttal team’ to fight attacks on Hong Kong’s national security law, city leader John Lee says

Hong Kong’s own national security legislation put on hold for further research, government says

Lai Tung-kwok

Hong Kong immigration service loses computers with information of 3,000 travellers

News

Hong Kong

Officials say the notebook computers contained the personal data of 3,000 foreign travellers
