Media Statements

“It is a timely opportunity for Hong Kong to review the data privacy protection law”
Privacy Commissioner Delivers Keynote Address at the 7^th European Data Protection Days in Berlin, Germany

(17 May 2017)    The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (“Privacy Commissioner”) Stephen Kai-yi WONG was invited to deliver a keynote address at the 7^th European Data Protection Days in Berlin, Germany on 15 May 2017. The Conference was attended by more than 200 representatives from data protection authorities, privacy related enterprises, business entities, professionals and academia from over 20 countries. 

The Conference, themed “Are you GDPR-ready?”, focused on the readiness of data protection authorities, public and private sector in view of the implementation of the new European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) from May 2018 and its implications, challenges and opportunities. The latest developments in international data protection, global data transfer and the future role of the data protection authorities were also featured during the Conference.

In his keynote presentation entitled “Preliminary major observations on the GDPR 2018 from Hong Kong’s Perspective”, the Privacy Commissioner illustrated the comparative study embarked by his office between Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (“the Ordinance”) and GDPR and why the study was important to Hong Kong: “One of the key purposes of the study is to keep the Ordinance abreast with overseas’ privacy law developments.  The study would also help us assess GDPR’s impact on Hong Kong’s data driven economy, in particular multi-national organisations.”

The Privacy Commissioner added: “The European Union (“EU”) is Hong Kong’s second largest trade partner and the EU Directive 1995 was one of the key models on which the Ordinance was based when it was enacted 21 years ago. The new GDPR’s extra-territorial effect also seems to suggest that Hong Kong businesses which collect, store and process the personal data of EU’s citizens should be obliged to comply with GDPR’s requirements.”

The Privacy Commissioner was also invited to share on the panel discussion themed “The latest developments in international data protection –one year before the GDPR will apply”.  The session was joined by European Data Protection Supervisor, chairperson of French Data Protection Authority CNIL, and the deputy director of Federal Trade Commission of the US. The Privacy Commissioner highlighted the importance of understanding one another’s legal frameworks and pragmatic approaches in implementation alongside the global joint enterprise to strike the right balance between the free flow of data and the protection of individual’s data privacy right, particularly in terms of certain diverging privacy cultures in Asia.

－END－
 

Photo 1: The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong Stephen Kai-yi WONG delivered a keynote presentation themed “Preliminary major observations on the GDPR 2018 from Hong Kong’s Perspective – A timely opportunity for Hong Kong to review the data privacy protection law” at the 7^th European Data Protection Days in Berlin, Germany on 15 May 2017.




Photo 2: The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong Stephen Kai-yi WONG (first right) spoke as a panellist and shared at the panel discussion themed “The latest developments in international data protection –one year before the GDPR will apply” in Berlin, Germany on 15 May 2017.