Facebook and Google among firms that have threatened to leave Hong Kong
HONG KONG: Facebook, Twitter and Google have warned the Hong Kong government that they could stop operating in the region if officials go ahead with planned changes to data protection laws that could expose them to malicious sharing of information about individuals online. could be held liable, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A letter sent by an industry group that includes Internet firms said the companies are concerned that the regulations employed to address doxing could put their employees at risk of criminal investigation or prosecution related to the firms’ users posting online. can.
The report said that doxing refers to the practice of putting people’s personal information online so that they can be harassed by others.
Hong Kong’s Bureau of Constitutional and Mainland Affairs proposed amendments to the city’s data-protection laws in May that it said were necessary to tackle doxing, a practice that was prevalent during the 2019 protests in the city .
The proposals call for a sentence of up to 1 million Hong Kong dollars, the equivalent of about $128,800, and up to five years in prison.
“The only way for technology companies to avoid these restrictions would be to refrain from investing in and offering services in Hong Kong,” said a June 25 letter from the Singapore-based Asia Internet Coalition. .
Tensions have flared between some of America’s most powerful firms and Hong Kong officials as Beijing continues to exercise control over the city and clamp down on political dissent.
US firms and other tech companies said last year that they were suspending processing of requests from Hong Kong law-enforcement agencies after China imposed a national security law on the city.
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