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PCPD News
私隱專員公署通訊
•
Issue no. 31
私隱專員回應申訴專員公署發表的調查報告
The Commissioner Responded to Investigation Reports by The Ombudsman
申訴專員公署於
2015
年
3
月
24
日發表
的兩份主動調查報告，當中涉及個人資
料私隱的事宜，公署認為有需要釐清如
下。
(
一
)
教育局拒絕提供教師註冊資料的
問題
申訴專員公署敦促教育局檢討現行處理
公眾人士
/
機構所提出的索取個別教師
註冊資料的要求之做法，以放寬向關乎
其切身利益的人士披露資料。公署贊成
這建議。教育局應沿用《個人資料（私
隱）條例》，因應索取資料要求的實際
情況，決定是否披露註冊教師的資料，
以及一旦披露，應披露哪些個人資料。
私隱條例並非鐵板一塊，全然不准許
披露有關資料，而是需視乎實際情況而
定。
另外，申訴專員公署敦促教育局就公開
註冊教師名單進行廣泛公眾諮詢或民意
評估，以確定市民大眾的訴求。公署對
此並無異議。公眾諮詢可更有認受性地
確立清晰及合適的框架，決定是否披露
註冊教師的資料，以及一旦披露，應披
露哪些個人資料；修訂相關法例可對落
實有關框架提供一個不容置疑的法律基
礎。
(
二
)
學生資助辦事處的「免入息審查
貸款計劃」之追討欠款程序
公署得悉申訴專員公署在一系列建議
中，重提學生資助辦事處（「學資處」）
應盡快推行向信貸資料機構（現時本港
唯一一間這類機構是「環聯」）提供較
嚴重拖欠還款個案人士的負面信貸資料
（「有關建議」）。
公署反對有關建議，因為這會為日後帶
來巨大私隱風險。公署這一立場亦獲得
公眾認同，公署於
2012
年
2
月
29
日曾
發表一項公眾意見調查，調查結果顯示
公眾反對向信貸資料機構提供拖欠還款
學生的負面信貸資料。
公署支持申訴專員公署建議加強力度對
付拖欠還款。然而，基於私隱風險，公
署反對有關建議。公署曾把私隱風險告
知申訴專員公署，但他們在報告書中似
乎並無充分考慮公署的私隱關注。
私隱專員完全支持政府需要加倍努力，
解決學生貸款拖欠問題。但把
600
宗個
案的負面信貸資料給予環聯茲事體大，
將會令整個社會負起嚴重的私隱代價。
另外，由於信貸資料機構的信貸評估缺
乏透明度，其阻嚇作用亦成為疑問。調
查清楚顯示大部份學生與公眾在知悉私
隱的風險後均反對該建議。
在這背景下，私隱專員重申先前提交給
政府的建議，即當局應另尋求其他較少
侵犯私隱的方法，例如
(1)
用法律途徑
更有效地追收學生拖欠貸款；
(2)
外判律
師樓代追欠款，以及
(3)
對拖欠貸款者
施加罰則。
Th e O f f i c e o f t h e Omb u d s ma n
announced the results of two direct
investigation reports on 24 March
2015. The PCPD considers that some
points have to be clarified in relation to
issues of personal data privacy.
(1) Education Bureau’s Non-disclosure
of Teachers' Registration Status
The Ombudsman urged the Education
Bureau (“EDB”) to review its current
practice relating to handling requests
from individuals or organisations for
information on the registration status
of individual teachers. The PCPD
supports this suggestion. The EDB
should consider the circumstances of
the request and determine whether
the request is justified under the
requirements of the Personal Data
(Privacy) Ordinance (“Ordinance”), and
if it is, precisely which personal data
can be disclosed to the requester. The
Ordinance is not a straightjacket which
prohibits disclosure of the personal
data in all circumstances.
The PCPD has no objection to the
Ombudsman’s suggestion that the
EDB conduct an extensive public
consultation exercise or opinion poll
to confirm the public’s interest in
disclosure. A public consultation would
provide a mandate for a framework
of factors to consider whether or not
to disclose a teachers’ personal data
upon request, and if disclosure is
warranted, exactly which personal data
should be disclosed to the requester.
Legislative provisions would provide
an indisputable legal footing for the
framework.
(2) Recovery of Debts under Non-
means-tested Loan Scheme
The PCPD noted that among other
s u g g e s t i o n s , t h e Om b u d s m a n
resurrected a proposal (the “Proposal”)
which the Working Family and Student
Financial Assistance Agency once
considered for deterring defaults on
loan payments, namely, forwarding the
borrower’s default data to the consumer
credit reference agency. (The only
agency of this kind operating in Hong
Kong is TransUnion).
The PCPD objected to the Proposal
because of its grave privacy ramifications.
This position was supported by the
findings of a public opinion survey
conducted in February 2012.
To r ecap i t u l a t e , wh i l e t he PCPD
supports the Ombudsman’s suggestions
to tighten procedures to recover debts
under the Loan Scheme, it is against the
Proposal because of privacy concerns.
The PCPD noted that although the
privacy concerns were made known to
the Ombudsman, they were not fully
addressed in the investigation report.
The Commissioner fully supports the
Government’s stepping up efforts
to tackle the student loan default
problem. However, the proposal to
share with TransUnion the negative
data of defaulters in some 600 cases
has serious privacy implications for the
whole community, and its deterrent
effect is unknown due to the lack
of transparency of the operations of
TransUnion as regards credit ratings.
There are also clear indications that
s t uden t s and t he gene ra l pub l i c ,