New Hong Kong privacy chief vows to balance flow of information
The newly-appointed privacy commissioner has vowed to strike a balance between privacy protection and the free flow of information.
Barrister Stephen Wong Kai-yi, 60, who served as legal counsel with the Justice Department from 1986 to 2007, spoke to the after the government yesterday announced his new role as privacy commissioner for personal data for a term of five years starting on August 4.
He was also the secretary to the Law Reform Commission from 2012 to last year before retiring from the civil service.
Wong stressed that it was important to protect the privacy of every individual as well as the free flow of information - which was a core value of Hong Kong.
Speaking of the challenges he faced, Wong said: "I hope I could strengthen the work [of the commission], and maintain its high quality."
He hoped that through education, Hongkongers could take "control" of their own data - meaning they could decide whether to give it out or not - and to understand the consequences of passing it to third parties.
A government spokesman said: "Wong is an expert in human rights law. He was involved in the legislative process of the 1991 Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, and was subsequently on loan to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva as an associate expert."
Barrister Gerard McCoy SC, said that Wong's appointment was "astute and highly commendable" because of his talents and expertise in public law.
He said: "It is important that members of the Bar are appointed to these significant statutory bodies because it brings not only credibility but also a very important ability to analyse and resolve matters by dispute resolution."
Wong will succeed incumbent privacy commissioner Allan Chiang Yam-wang.
Chiang said last night he was not in a position to comment on the appointment and his priority at the moment was clearing his work to ensure a smooth transition.
