Doxxing cases, mostly targeting police officers and their families, plunge 76 per cent after Hong Kong protests die down

Privacy commissioner says there is still an urgent need for a review of the law to empower the watchdog to investigate and prosecute cases directly

Watchdog was alerted to 4,370 cases between June and December of 2019, at the height of anti-government protests

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Out of more than 5,400 cases in the past two years, 38 per cent involved police officers and their family members. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 8:02pm, 28 Jan 2021Updated: 11:34pm, 28 Jan 2021

Doxxing cases, most involving police officers and their supporters, fell 76 per cent last year in Hong Kong, the city’s privacy watchdog has said.

But Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling on Thursday said there was still an urgent need for a review of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance to empower the watchdog to investigate and prosecute cases directly, as well as require internet service providers to remove unlawful content from social media.

The commission also launched a hotline for complaints and inquiries about doxxing, which was widespread during anti-government protests in 2019, with the body alerted to 4,370 cases between June and December that year. The figure dropped to 1,036 in 2020, down 76 per cent.

The watchdog did not record complaints about doxxing between January and May 2019, before the social unrest broke out.

Ada Chung, the privacy commissioner for personal data. Photo: Nora Tam

Out of more than 5,400 cases in the past two years, 38 per cent involved police officers and their family members, while another 30 per cent were tied to residents supporting the government or the force.

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