Hong Kong Says Doxxing Law Alarming Tech Firms Strikes ‘Balance’
- Government seeks to play down reach of latest security measure
- Industry group including Google, Facebook voiced opposition
This article is for subscribers only.
Hong Kong defended steps to toughen legislation banning the publication of personal information to harass people -- or “doxxing” -- as local lawmakers took up the latest measure in a security campaign that’s worrying tech companies in the Asian financial center.
The Legislative Council began debating legal changes that would create new punishments for posting information deemed harmful. Disclosure of data that harms individuals or their relatives would be punishable by as long as five years in prison and fines as large as HK$1 million ($130,000). The release of someone’s data without their consent could result in two years in jail and a fine of HK$100,000.