Cathay Pacific data leak warrants formal investigation, Hong Kong ex-privacy chief says in break with successor
- Allan Chiang says it is not the first time watchdog under Stephen Wong has failed to adequately investigate companies
- Number of investigations by privacy commissioner fell from 106 in 2014 to only one last year
A formal investigation is needed into the data leak at Cathay Pacific Airways that affected 9.4 million passengers, a former chief of Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog said on Saturday, questioning why the regulator had not launched one.
In a rare move, Allan Chiang Yam-wang, privacy commissioner from 2010 to 2015, criticised the office of his successor Stephen Wong Kai-yi for only undertaking a “compliance check” instead of a formal probe into Hong Kong’s flagship airline.
He said it was not the first time the watchdog had failed to adequately investigate companies in similar circumstances.
“Under these compliance checks, the privacy commissioner’s office reviews a company’s data security measures and makes recommendations, then the case is closed,” Chiang said on a pre-recorded radio show.
“There is no mention of whether the company has breached any law, and details about how the leak happened may not be disclosed. This kind of lax action is far from serious regulatory measures.”
