Hong Kong police to deploy technology to combat misinformation, new PR chief says
- New police head of PR says hi-tech public opinion tracker will help quell rumours and misinformation
- Assistant Commissioner of Police Joe Chan adds new PR wing will tell ‘good stories’ about police, city and country
Police in Hong Kong will use hi-tech methods to quash rumours and dispel misinformation about the force in a bid to forge better relationships with the public, the new head of its public relations arm has said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Joe Chan Tung explained that one of the five main priorities of the new public relations wing was the identification of rumours as early as possible and to combat them with the help of a round-the-clock public opinion tracking system.
Chan, 49, said in his first media briefing last Friday that “fake news” and misinformation had contributed to a deterioration in relations between police and public.
He said the spreading of material designed to smear the force had flooded the internet during the 2019 social unrest and that the activity had only died down after the national security law was passed in 2020 and arrests were made.
“Even one piece of fake news is too many,” he said. “If we don’t handle it in a timely, active and serious manner, it can have a serious impact on society and residents.”
The force has commissioned an outside company to monitor online information and compile details of activity related to the police. The system, which uses big data, was set up this year.