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Sexual harassment and assault
OpinionLetters

Letters | Hong Kong laws need to move with the times on peeping Toms and spy cameras

  • The laws need to be updated to combat voyeuristic crimes like upskirting, but spy camera sales must be regulated as well
  • Scandals in South Korea show that the availability of secret cameras is itself a problem

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Hong Kong’s top court has struck down the use of a “one-size-fits-all” charge often used in the prosecution of smartphone-related crimes, including the taking of upskirt photos and videos. Photo: Shutterstock
Letters
I refer to the article, “‘Lazy’ Hong Kong justice officials ‘wasted 10 years on upskirting law’” (April 5) on how lawmakers urged justice officials to speed up the drafting of laws against voyeuristic crimes such as upskirting, after a court found existing legislation ineffective for many smartphone-related offences.
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James To Kun-sun of the Democratic Party slammed the Justice Department for failing to keep pace with changes in society, saying officials had “wasted eight to 10 years because they were lazy” and were still relying on the outdated charge of “obtaining access to a computer for criminal or dishonest gain”. Elizabeth Quat of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said “there cannot be further delay”, in the process of enacting a new law on voyeurism.

I strongly agree that Hong Kong should draft an updated law as soon as possible to protect citizens’ privacy. As Hong Kong is yet to create a sound legal framework against voyeuristic crime, people can take any photos without permission (“Racy video of Canto-pop superstar’s husband exposes privacy concerns”, April 16). Upskirting photos are an invasion of privacy and these can be uploaded to the internet for illegal use. Furthermore, the fast development of technology has made it very easy to get hold of such cameras.
Consider the recent scandal in South Korea, where rooms in 30 hotels were set up with “spy” cameras by two men who then live-streamed guests’ intimate moments to internet subscribers against payment. It shows how difficult it is to spot these hidden cameras.
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I suggest that lawmakers regulate the sale of such cameras; for example, only shops with a licence should be allowed to sell them, or buyers be asked to fill in some forms. Also, the penalty for voyeuristic crimes should be increased.

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