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Alvin Lum

Political journalist covering in Hong Kong politics, justice system and policy analysis.


Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog is seeking answers from Facebook on what it is doing to protect user information in the wake of a global data harvesting scandal, and how much its 5 million active users in the city have been affected.
Speaking exclusively to the Post on Wednesday, Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong Kai-yi said the social media giant would have to identify any loopholes, and failure to plug them would warrant legal action by his office.
This adds pressure to Facebook, which has lost tens of billions of dollars in market value after Cambridge Analytica, a British data firm with ties to US President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign, was accused of illegally harvesting information from around 50 million users without their knowledge. 
Wong, also a barrister by trade, said public concerns sparked by the scandal had prompted his office to step in and demand answers from Facebook, although no formal complaints had been received yet.

 
While Facebook had an operational office but not a data server in Hong Kong, Wong said, his intervention was justified, given its 5 million active accounts in the city. 
“If they have some control over users’ data, and some of that data comes through Hong Kong, then even if Facebook does not have a server here, it would still count as information gathering in Hong Kong,” Wong said. “If we don’t chase after them as a matter of public concern, who else has the power to do so?”
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The privacy chief said it would primarily be a “fact-finding” mission to understand Facebook’s operations and data protection policies in the city, stressing that his office did not have any preconceived notions about the company.
His office would closely follow investigations launched by United States and British authorities, as well as similar inquiries made by other privacy commissioners around the world. 

“Due to widespread concern and the vast number of local user accounts, we hope to speed up our inquiry and hopefully complete it within one to two months,” he said. 
Wong would not rule out probes into other major technology companies’ handling of personal data in the city, if necessary. 
In a written reply to the Post, Facebook said: “We’ve been in regular dialogue with the Privacy Commissioner’s Office on this matter and will continue to address any feedback and advice from the commissioner.”
Big Zucker is watching you: Facebook has realised Orwell’s dystopian vision, and we like it
Facebook on Wednesday also globally announced a redesign of its privacy settings, offering step-by-step guides for users to access and even delete their personal data.
Lawmakers have also called on the privacy watchdog to investigate Facebook locally and issue guidelines to marketers regarding the protection of personal data. 
In a letter to the commissioner, information technology sector lawmaker Charles Mok urged him to press Facebook on whether Hong Kong users’ information had been transferred to any third party by any means. 
Echoing concerns about the suspected use of private data to influence US elections and Britain’s Brexit referendum, Mok also urged the commissioner to investigate similar abuse, if any, in local polls.


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Facebook

Hong Kong privacy watchdog demands answers from Facebook on data security after Cambridge Analytica scandal

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog is seeking answers from Facebook on what it is doing to protect user information. Photo: AFP

FILE- This Feb. 5, 2007 file photo shows Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Zuckerberg’s boyish appearance, even today, is a reminder of just how young he was when he created what would become the world’s biggest social network, back in his dorm room at Harvard. “I didn't know anything about building a company or global internet service,” he wrote in January 2018. “Over the years I've made almost every mistake you can imagine.” (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

A laptop showing the Facebook logo is held alongside a Cambridge Analytica sign at the entrance to the building housing the offices of Cambridge Analytica, in central London on March 21, 2018. Facebook expressed outrage over the misuse of its data as Cambridge Analytica, the British firm at the centre of a major scandal rocking the social media giant, suspended its chief executive. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

Facebook data privacy scandal threatens fellow titans Google and Twitter as US Congress demands answers

Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks on stage during the annual Facebook F8 developers conference in San Jose on April 18, 2017. Photo: Reuters

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, file photo, Google CEO Sundar Pichai talks about the new Google Assistant during a product event in San Francisco. Target is jumping into voice-activated shopping as it deepens its relationship with Google, offering thousands of items found in the store except for perishables like fruit and milk. The move is happening as Google says shopping will be available later in 2017 through Google Assistant on iPhone and Android phones, joining its Google Home device and Android TV. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twitter Inc., right, smiles during an interview in New York, U.S., on Monday, May 1, 2017. Twitter announced a partnership with Bloomberg LP to deliver 24/7 live streaming news program. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

FILE- In this Nov. 9, 2017, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg meets with a group of entrepreneurs and innovators during a round-table discussion at Cortex Innovation Community technology hub in St. Louis. With Zuckerberg, “its experiment, learn, experiment, learn,” said LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who has known him since 2004. Hoffman said that is evident in Zuckerberg's enthusiasm for software, which can be overwritten to fix problems. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Facebook draws probe by US privacy watchdog and Congress over data scandal

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose social media company has been engulfed in scandal over the harvesting of data from 50 million users by a company that helped elect Donald Trump in 2016. Photo: EPA-EFE

Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica arrives at the offices of Cambridge Analytica in central London, Britain, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

File - In this Jun 7, 2013, file photo, the Facebook "like" symbol is illuminated on a sign outside the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook is having one of its worst weeks as a publicly traded company with a share sell-off continuing for a second day. Britain's Commissioner Elizabeth Denham told the BBC that she was investigating Facebook and has asked the company not to pursue its own audit of Cambridge Analytica's data use. Denham is also pursuing a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica's servers. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Figurines are seen in front of the Facebook logo in this illustration taken March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Posters depicting Cambridge Analytica's CEO Alexander Nix behind bars, with the slogan "Our Data Not His. Go Straight To Jail" are pictured at the entrance of the company's offices in central London on March 20, 2018. The European Parliament on Tuesday invited Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to speak following revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump's US presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users. Facebook has faced worldwide criticism over the claims that Cambridge Analytica, the UK data analysis firm hired by Trump's 2016 campaign, harvested and misused data on 50 million members. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS

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A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen in front of a stock graph in this illustration photo on March 20, 2018. Facebook’s stock has been hit by a privacy scandal, but most analysts still project the stock as a buy. Photo: Reuters

(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 17, 2012, a Facebook logo is seen through the windows of the NASDAQ stock exchange as people walk by on Times Square in New York. Facebook shares tumbled 5.0 percent in early trading on March 19, 2018, following reports of a large data breach as US stocks fell ahead of a US Federal Reserve policy decision later this week. Of the major indices, Facebook weighed most heavily on the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index, which was down 0.9 percent to 7,411.34 about 20 minutes into trading. / AFP PHOTO / Emmanuel DUNAND

Traders work on the floor at the closing bell of the Dow Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange on March 19, 2018 in New York. Shares of big technology companies tumbled Monday following a Facebook data breach scandal, pushing US equity markets sharply lower. / AFP PHOTO / Bryan R. Smith

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 19: Traders and financial professionals work ahead of the closing bell on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), March 19, 2018 in New York City. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped over 330 points on Monday. Shares of Facebook dropped nearly 7 percent after news broke that analytics firm Cambridge Analytica was able to collect information on 50 million people's Facebook profiles without their consent. Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

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Sir Martin Sorrell. Photo: Olivia Michael/CNBC

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epa06616293 Alexander Nix, CEO of the London-based political consulting firm 'Cambridge Analytica' leaves his offices through the back door in London, Britain, 20 March 2018. Britain's Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham has applied for a warrant to search the offices of 'Cambridge Analytica', which is accused of using the personal data of 50 million Facebook members for its own campaigns during the US presidential elections in 2016 and Brexit referendum. EPA-EFE/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA

(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 25, 2015 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the F8 summit in San Francisco, California. Facebook shares plunged March 19, 2018 as the social media giant was pounded by criticism at home and abroad over revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump's presidential campaign harvested and misused data on 50 million members.Calls for investigations came on both sides of the Atlantic after Facebook responded to explosive reports of misuse of its data by suspending the account of Cambridge Analytica, a British firm hired by Trump's 2016 campaign.Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar and Republican John Kennedy called for Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to appear before Congress, along with Google and Twitter's CEOs. / AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson

Posters depicting Cambridge Analytica's CEO Alexander Nix behind bars, with the slogan "Our Data Not His. Go Straight To Jail" are pictured at the entrance of the company's offices in central London on March 20, 2018. In the wake of the revelations, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has proposed fixes to his site’s rules. Photo: AFP

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong says social media giant must plug any loopholes affecting its 5 million users in the city, or it could face legal action


Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong says social media giant must plug any loopholes affecting its 5 million users in the city, or it could face legal action.


Cybersecurity

United States

Exclusive | Hong Kong privacy watchdog demands answers from Facebook on data security after Cambridge Analytica scandal

Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong says social media giant must plug any loopholes affecting its 5 million users in the city, or it could face legal action