Hong Kong court jails man for 8 months in first sentencing under revamped privacy law over malicious disclosure of ex-partner’s private data
- Ho Muk-wah received 8 months’ jail for seven counts of disclosing personal data without consent, including creating fake online accounts under ex-partner’s name
- Magistrate says ‘court must send clear message’ to deter similar instances, citing psychological injuries inflicted by offender on victim and her family
A 27-year-old man has become the first person to be sentenced for doxxing under Hong Kong’s revamped privacy law, receiving eight months in jail for maliciously leaking the personal information of his ex-girlfriend on social media.
Customer service assistant Ho Muk-wah returned to Sha Tin Court on Thursday to be sentenced for seven counts of disclosing personal data without consent, which he committed over a span of eight days in October last year.
Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai said immediate imprisonment was inevitable, as the defendant had repeatedly violated the law to cause psychological injuries to the victim and her family.
“The court must send a clear message that, save for very exceptional cases, it will not condone this type of offence, as the offender has already inflicted significant injuries on the victim,” the magistrate said. “The offender must pay a substantial price and bear responsibility.”
Pleading guilty to all charges in October 2022, Ho admitted he had impersonated his then partner on Instagram and two dating apps and pretended the victim was seeking sexual favours from strangers.