Reporters will need Hong Kong transport chief to sign off on access to vehicle registry under overhauled application process
- Authorities say shake-up in response to top court’s ruling in favour of freelance producer Bao Choy over whether journalism is valid reason to access registry
- Transport commissioner to review applications from reporters based on grounds such as public interest and national security
Journalists will need permission from Hong Kong’s transport commissioner to access the personal information of vehicle owners, with authorities saying applications might be rejected on national security grounds or if a case is not in the public interest.
Commissioner for Transport Angela Lee Chung-yan on Friday said she would personally review any applications from media outlets to access the government’s vehicle registry to determine whether the “benefits to public interest outweighed the owner’s rights to privacy”.
“If the commissioner reasonably believes that approving a particular application will be contrary to the interests of national security, or is likely to threaten public safety or prejudice the maintenance of public order, the application shall be rejected,” the new guidelines state.
Last June, the Court of Final Appeal ruled in favour of freelance producer Bao Choy Yuk-ling and said that journalistic work was a valid reason for accessing official records, with the data used for a documentary critical of police action during the 2019 anti-government protests.
But media outlets from Monday would only be allowed to file applications to access data such as motorists’ names and addresses under “exceptional circumstances”.