Letters | Does recording of Cathay Pacific cabin crew breach privacy law?
- Readers discuss an audio recording that resulted in the firing of three airline staff, the use of ChatGPT at Hong Kong universities, and support that would benefit the city’s elderly
Cathay swiftly took action after an audio recording of their casual chat was shared on the hugely popular Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. The incident was also picked up by People’s Daily, which published an online commentary criticising Cathay’s corporate culture for “worshipping foreigners” and respecting Hongkongers but looking down on mainlanders.
One neglected aspect of the whole affair was the secret taping of the private chat between the flight attendants by a passenger seated near their work area. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data should come forward and explain to the public whether such an act of recording a private conversation breaches the local privacy law.
Understandably, the passenger who heard the exchange – a mainlander who has lived in Hong Kong for over a decade – was upset with the flight attendants poking fun at a mainland traveller who couldn’t speak English, but does that justify secretly recording the conversation and exposing it to the media?
They sounded unkind but the chat was a lighthearted exchange among colleagues in their own rest area. There is no reason it should be blown up into an issue about discrimination resulting in sackings.
The mainland market is, of course, crucial to any company, Cathay Pacific included. But a balance needs to be struck between non-discriminatory service and decency by passengers with due regard for personal privacy.
Y. Yeung, Mid-Levels
University IT staff can do more to support ChatGPT use
In fact, the university held two consultation meetings, for employees and students respectively, on May 16. During the meetings, a senior academic staff member who led the task force on developing guidelines for using the technology properly explained the university’s position and sought comments from the audience.
The guidelines are expected to be officially released in late June, to help teachers and students think about how teaching and learning can be transformed in the new academic year.
University IT staff must develop innovative solutions to better serve the needs of teachers and students. Instead of merely offering a web interface for accessing the chatbot, IT staff should provide programming support so teachers can develop customised chatbots to serve students in specific learning contexts. Such chatbots could offer tailor-made instructions on course material and reject certain requests, such as drafting complete essays, that may lead to plagiarism.
Dr Simon Wang, lecturer, Baptist University
Prioritise aid that enables the elderly to live with dignity
Financial aid can help the elderly live more independently. It is especially important for those who are not on good terms with their family, or, worse, need to move away to protect themselves from abuse.
Financial assistance may also be seen as a reward for elderly people’s contribution to society in the past. Receiving it may make them feel respected.
The question then is how to provide assistance in a way that is affordable for Hong Kong. It’s important to prioritise the kind of support that is the most vital for the elderly to live out their years with dignity.
First, chronic diseases are common among the elderly. Managing them is expensive and a long-term burden. Subsidies for medical care are therefore necessary.
One should also not underestimate the importance of catering to older people’s psychological needs, which go beyond monetary support. The number of singleton elderly is increasing. They need emotional support, counselling and regular visits from social workers and community volunteers.
Adrian Lam, North Point
