The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (Privacy Commissioner), Mr Stephen Kai-yi WONG warns against doxxing of medical personnel, be they on duty providing public health service or not: “Doxxing of this kind is ‘despicable weaponisation of personal data’. It does not only amount to a contravention of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, but also violates data ethics adopted in various other places. It is a total disregard for public interest, and definitely illegal and entirely not accepted by our society.”
The office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has discovered doxxing postings of this kind during online patrols and would initiate an investigation. The Privacy Commissioner also calls on medical personnel who are being doxxed to contact the PCPD (Tel: 2827 2827; Fax: 2877 7026 or email: complaints@pcpd.org.hk). The PCPD is continuing to provide this public service at this difficult time of the year. In addition, although the Privacy Commissioner does not have the relevant legal locus standi to initiate legal proceedings, the affected medical personnel and their organisations may consider seeking an injunction from the court.