https://www.scmp.com/rss/522952/feed The latest news and top stories on Ada Chung Lai-ling. She currently leads the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data. Her work involves overseeing data privacy compliance, investigating breaches and combating doxxing. Previously, she served as Registrar of Companies where she spearheaded the Companies Ordinance rewrite and electronic filing. A qualified barrister and Certified Public Accountant, she focuses on addressing information security risks and developing frameworks for... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com William Yiu William Yiu Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has condemned the owner of an education platform for paying a ransom to hackers who stole individuals’ personal data across 9,000 institutions worldwide, arguing that the money should have been spent on strengthening cybersecurity. Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling on Friday also questioned whether the hackers had truly returned the data stolen from Canvas and urged affected users to remain alert to suspicious calls or messages claiming to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3353638/hong-kong-privacy-watchdog-slams-canvas-owner-paying-ransom-hackers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3353638/hong-kong-privacy-watchdog-slams-canvas-owner-paying-ransom-hackers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2026 03:28:57 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun A data breach at Yau Yat Chuen Garden City Club has compromised the personal information of more than 9,000 people, Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has found, urging organisations to review security measures and update software to close loopholes. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on Thursday also released a guide for parents and teachers to safeguard children’s online privacy amid increasing risks facing youngsters online. Revealing the data breach, Privacy Commissioner for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351143/personal-info-9045-people-compromised-hong-kong-private-club-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351143/personal-info-9045-people-compromised-hong-kong-private-club-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:41:48 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung A global investigation involving Hong Kong authorities has found that more websites and mobile apps designed for children are collecting personal data – ranging from phone numbers to addresses – than they did about a decade ago. The 2025 Global Privacy Enforcement Network Sweep, which included the participation of Hong Kong’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, examined 876 websites and mobile apps specifically designed for children across multiple sectors in early November,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347829/more-websites-mobile-apps-children-collecting-personal-data-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347829/more-websites-mobile-apps-children-collecting-personal-data-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:55:50 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog plans to consult lawmakers this year about introducing mandatory data breach reporting and related penalties, the body’s chief has said. Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling on Saturday revealed details about the proposed legislative amendments to the city’s privacy ordinance, after authorities stalled the plan in 2024 over concerns the measures could hurt the local business environment. “We really hope that we have some specific recommendations... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3342754/hong-kong-plans-revive-privacy-law-mandating-firms-report-data-breaches?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3342754/hong-kong-plans-revive-privacy-law-mandating-firms-report-data-breaches?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 07:18:01 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen Data leakage cases recorded by Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog increased 21 per cent last year, with hacking being the primary cause. But the number of doxxing cases had dropped significantly since legislation criminalising the act was passed in 2021, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said on Tuesday. Chung’s office received 246 data breach notices in 2025, a 21 per cent increase from 203 cases in the year before. Hacking was the main cause of data leaks, accounting for 81... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3342216/data-leaks-jump-21-hong-kong-doxxing-hits-record-low?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3342216/data-leaks-jump-21-hong-kong-doxxing-hits-record-low?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:40:53 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Hong Kong and Shenzhen are establishing a white list for data transfers as part of an overarching effort to forge closer cross-border ties, which policymakers and business leaders see as essential to unlocking opportunities in artificial intelligence and fintech in the region. “If you have a white list to facilitate the movement of sensitive data, biological data and samples between Hong Kong and [mainland] China, it would ensure trust between [parties sending and receiving information] because... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3340022/hong-kong-shenzhen-push-secure-data-corridor-unlock-ai-and-fintech-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3340022/hong-kong-shenzhen-push-secure-data-corridor-unlock-ai-and-fintech-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:00:49 +0000 Jiang Chuqin Jiang Chuqin A Hong Kong fitness chain was cautioned by the city’s privacy watchdog after it installed a CCTV camera facing a men’s bathroom missing a door, one of about 200 complaints involving video surveillance this year. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on Wednesday also revealed that it had received 1,166 inquiries of the same nature over the same period, prompting it to issue guidelines on CCTV usage in October. About 80 per cent of the complaints were related to disputes... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3336796/hong-kong-gyms-cctv-doorless-toilet-among-200-surveillance-complaints?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3336796/hong-kong-gyms-cctv-doorless-toilet-among-200-surveillance-complaints?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 11:30:19 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has urged LinkedIn users to review their settings on the platform, as the professional networking giant is set to resume using their personal data to train generative artificial intelligence models starting from Monday next week. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data issued the reminder on Thursday, saying LinkedIn had confirmed it would begin using personal data to train its generative AI models starting on November 3. The updated policy will... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330868/hong-kong-linkedin-users-urged-check-privacy-settings-ai-training-resume?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3330868/hong-kong-linkedin-users-urged-check-privacy-settings-ai-training-resume?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 06:31:33 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has ruled that three retail firms, including a branch of a Japanese multinational company that owns fashion brands Lowrys Farm and “Niko and…”, violated data protection rules in two cybersecurity breaches that compromised the private information of more than 138,000 people. Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said on Thursday that investigations by her office discovered that Japanese retailer Adastria had failed to activate any security measures... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322681/lowrys-farm-owner-my-jewlery-slammed-138000-hongkongers-hit-data-leaks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322681/lowrys-farm-owner-my-jewlery-slammed-138000-hongkongers-hit-data-leaks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:35:56 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu HK Express, the budget carrier of Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, mistakenly directed a customer to log into another’s account due to a “scripting error”, enabling him to access the other person’s personal information including birth date, according to investigations by the privacy watchdog. That case and seven others revealed on Monday by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data included one involving CJ Plus Insurance, which sent documents printed on recycled paper that... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3317227/scripting-error-hong-kongs-hk-express-led-access-private-information?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3317227/scripting-error-hong-kongs-hk-express-led-access-private-information?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:14:40 +0000