Hong Kong’s internet cafes face stricter regulation with licensing system
The government is to regulate the operations of internet cafes in the city with a licensing system, suggesting that regulation for internet cafes be made through the licensing regime under the existing Amusement Game Centres Ordinance.
The government is to regulate the operations of internet cafes in the city with a licensing system.
The government suggested that the regulation of internet cafes be made through the licensing regime under the existing Amusement Game Centres Ordinance, with licensing conditions to be based on the existing voluntary-based code of practice for the industry set ten years ago.
Premises have to comply with various building and fire safety requirements as stated in the code, the Home Affairs Bureau said in a document to be discussed at a meeting in the Legislative Council’s panel on home affairs on February 17.
The code also includes restrictions of access by children under 16 at specified hours, and a requirement to use only software that complied with intellectual property rights and the installation of filtering devices against online pornography.
The Home Affairs Bureau said internet cafes with five or less computers would be exempt from the licensing system. .
It also said that licensing conditions should exclude some of the most stringent requirements that applied to conventional amusement game centres, which are more commonly known as TV games centres.