Update | Hong Kong still waiting for US cyberspying answers from Obama
US government has failed to answer questions raised by Hong Kong about its cyberspying
US President Barack Obama has sought to ease Americans' concerns over government spying by pledging greater scrutiny, but Washington has still done nothing to answer questions raised overseas by Edward Snowden's claims of computer hacking.
Hong Kong, for instance, is still waiting for answers to Snowden's claim that the US National Security Agency (NSA) hacked into the city's computer systems.
Hours after Obama's pledge at a White House news conference, a Hong Kong government spokesman confirmed there had been no response to repeated requests for information on the claims by the former NSA contractor of US cybersurveillance in the city and on the mainland.
"We have not received a response yet," a government spokeswoman said yesterday.
Obama's pledge of more transparency appeared only to cover domestic spying efforts, though he did acknowledge that revelations about the NSA's cyberspying had damaged the US' reputation abroad.
Snowden made his claims shortly after he broke cover in Hong Kong in June and revealed himself to be the source of leaks on the NSA's secret surveillance programmes.
Three weeks ago, Legislative Council President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing wrote a letter to the White House on behalf of all lawmakers, demanding answers on the claims.