Hong Kong is a bustling trading and logistics center that also houses regional facilities of many multinational corporations, creating demand for secure data centres that can facilitate their business expansion on both the Mainland and elsewhere. Therefore, government and industry should collaborate closely in providing an enabling environment for these enterprises to prosper.
Hong Kong government recognizes the critical nature of data protection to economic wellbeing in their city, which is why they are committed to providing Hong Kong residents and citizens with top standards of data security and protection. Their track record speaks volumes as evidenced by innovative solutions and cutting edge technologies implemented for data protection.
The PDPO provides extensive safeguards for protecting personal data, including an individual’s right to privacy. Its six data protection principles enumerate clear rights for individuals while placing strict obligations upon data users who use personal information for marketing purposes; such obligations require users to seek consent prior to using any personal information for this purpose and take reasonable steps to ensure accuracy and currency of personal information they possess.
Additionally, the PDPO prohibits collection of personal data that is unnecessary or excessive for its intended use, providing exemptions when necessary to protect individual or public interests – this includes protecting one’s right against arbitrary interference with one’s privacy, family, home and correspondence; as well as prohibiting unlawful attacks on an individual’s honor and reputation.
Other than these provisions, the PDPO does not regulate the collection or processing of personal data outside Hong Kong by data users; rather, its provisions on liability apply solely to data that has been collected or processed within Hong Kong itself; any user who breaches this obligation regardless of where their breach takes place will incur liability regardless of where in the world their breach took place; there may also be restrictions such as requirements that a data user demonstrate compliance with all aspects of PDPO at all times.