Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has initiated the first prosecution against doxxing activities, charging a company director with illegally leaking the personal particulars of two people with whom he allegedly had a monetary dispute. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data launched the first criminal proceeding on Wednesday since legal amendments making the malicious disclosure of personal information illegal took effect in October last year. Anthony Ip Chun-hin appeared before West Kowloon Court slapped with four counts of disclosing personal data without the data subject’s consent, an offence punishable by up to two years in jail and a HK$100,000 (US$12,740) fine under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. The 31-year-old stands accused of maliciously divulging the personal data of a man anonymised as X, including his name, home address, mobile phone number and his employer’s identity, on October 19 and 20 last year. He was said to have doxxed another woman, Y, on the same dates by revealing her name, home address, occupation and her employer’s name. A charge sheet available for inspection by the press says the accused either intended to cause “specified harm” to the pair or their family members, or was being reckless as to whether the victims would suffer such injury. The document contains no details as to how Ip allegedly committed the offences, or through which online platform he publicised the information. The ordinance stipulates four categories of “specified harm” a person may suffer from doxxing, namely, “harassment, molestation, pestering, threat or intimidation”; bodily or psychological harm; concerns for one’s safety; and damage to property. Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog makes first arrest under new anti-doxxing law The watchdog’s criminal investigation division first arrested Ip on December 13 last year, but released him on a HK$1,000 bail following eight hours of detention and questioning. The company director was not required to enter a plea in Wednesday’s session, as his lawyers asked for extra time to obtain prosecution documents and offer legal advice to their client. Magistrate Andy Cheng Lim-chi granted Ip bail until the next hearing on July 20, but barred him from contacting any prosecution witnesses, including the two victims.