Hong Kong privacy chief alarmed at plan to gather data on passengers taking new premium taxis
Watchdog calls for risk assessment of trial scheme as it fears that the collection of information would allow monitoring of individuals
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has called for a risk assessment first if the government intends to conduct a premium taxi trial scheme because of the devil in the details.
The Post found that the scheme proposes to make operators record details of each passenger trip for government scrutiny, sparking concerns about invasion of privacy and surveillance of targeted individuals.
The fears were raised as the Transport and Housing Bureau suggested that three premium taxi operating franchises, each allowed to run 150 to 200 taxis, would be offered under the trial scheme. It will be an alternative for passengers to the existing service offered by 18,000 ordinary taxis amid growing discontent over the bad conduct of drivers.
In a discussion paper for the Legislative Council, the bureau suggested imposing terms in the franchises that would require operators to store real-time data about the taxis’ daily routines, including details of passengers, trips, drivers, fees and routes taken, for “the government’s scrutiny”.
Each premium taxi would only provide a pre-booked service through mobile apps. It would need to be fitted with a GPS system to facilitate the gathering of evidence of any regulatory breaches. Operators would be required to help with the monitoring of service quality and conduct of the drivers.
Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong Kai-yi suggested the government do a proper assessment first to identify potential risks and ensure that personal information would not be compromised.