https://www.scmp.com/rss/521195/feed Derek Chan SC is a former vice chairman, and current council member, of the Hong Kong Bar Association. He specialises in criminal and regulatory litigation. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Derek Chan Derek Chan People who passed by Hong Kong’s Christmas Town attraction at Statue Square Gardens in Central over the past month or so may have noticed that one of the buildings onto which cascading festive animations were projected was slightly more historic than the others. That building, which is a declared monument, houses the Court of Final Appeal (the “Court”). The Court is the final appellate court within Hong Kong’s judicial system. After the High Court and the Court of Appeal, it provides a second... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339100/what-happens-hong-kongs-top-court-hidden-plain-sight-winter-wonderland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3339100/what-happens-hong-kongs-top-court-hidden-plain-sight-winter-wonderland?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 01:30:21 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan In Hong Kong and elsewhere, digital currencies, cryptocurrencies (including stablecoins) and virtual assets are gaining in popularity and are rapidly becoming a mainstream asset class, with retail investors increasingly buying into them. Here in the city, new and groundbreaking legislation has been introduced to implement a regulatory framework which specifically addresses virtual assets, cementing Hong Kong’s status as an innovative global financial hub. The incursion of cryptocurrencies and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3333455/how-hong-kongs-law-protects-those-drawn-crypto-and-virtual-asset-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3333455/how-hong-kongs-law-protects-those-drawn-crypto-and-virtual-asset-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 01:30:26 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan The jury system remains one of the best-known features of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system and can often be a lightning rod for political debate about its merits, cost-effectiveness and whether it can deliver justice. Trial by jury is expressly provided for in Article 86 of the city’s Basic Law, which maintains the “principle of trial by jury previously practised in Hong Kong”. The jury trial has been a part of our legal system since 1845 and, since then, juries have most notably been present... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3327563/justice-hands-people-benefits-trial-jury-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3327563/justice-hands-people-benefits-trial-jury-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 01:30:13 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to develop, its utility for ordinary law-abiding citizens grows, along with its potential for abuse. However, the breakneck speed of development often leaves the law playing catch-up in confronting these new societal harms. The use of AI to create pornographic images of a person without their consent is a growing problem not limited to Hong Kong, and will only grow more prominent as the technology develops. Deepfakes, which are generated by AI... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321002/regulating-harm-caused-deepfake-porn-how-hong-kong-can-best-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3321002/regulating-harm-caused-deepfake-porn-how-hong-kong-can-best-protect-victims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 01:30:19 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan Since 2024, the government has begun an initiative named “SmartView” to install closed-circuit television in public places with high crime rates and pedestrian flow to assist in crime prevention, detection, and the preservation of public order and safety. The government and police have also indicated plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition technology into these CCTV systems in coming years. Similar plans extend towards traffic offence enforcement, with the Automatic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3314976/some-legal-ramifications-surrounding-use-ai-police-surveillance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3314976/some-legal-ramifications-surrounding-use-ai-police-surveillance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 01:30:28 +0000 Derek Chan Derek Chan Over the past decade or so, ride-hailing apps which allow people in Hong Kong to call private cars as a means of point-to-point transport have raised issues concerning the service’s legality. Despite issues over the legality of this mode of transport service, demand for it has only increased since its introduction almost a decade ago. Now that the government has indicated its clear intention to regulate car-hailing platforms, there is no better time to discuss possible challenges in formulating... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3308595/hong-kong-ride-hailing-regulations-can-draw-lessons-us-uk-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3308595/hong-kong-ride-hailing-regulations-can-draw-lessons-us-uk-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 May 2025 01:30:16 +0000