A former telecom employee was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison for doxxing a police officer and relative, the first such conviction in Hong Kong.
According to the Hong Kong police, following the arrest in September last year, an investigation showed that the employee obtained the personal particulars of the police officer and relatives before spreading on social media. The employee was charged in January and found guilty of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain, as well as disclosing others' data without consent.
It was the first conviction under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. The Hong Kong police welcomed the ruling, noting that taking advantage of work convenience to illegally obtain personal data on company computers may violate Hong Kong laws.
The court said the case was serious as it had caused great psychological harm to the police officer and innocent relative.
The High Court of Hong Kong granted an interim injunction last year to restrain persons from conducting doxxing activities against police officers and their family members. Another interim injunction was also granted recently to protect judicial officers and their family members.
The cyber world is not beyond the law, said Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung, adding that other than being morally wrong, doxxing acts may constitute criminal offense and members of the public are urged not to flout the law.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has transferred over 1,400 cases to the police since last year's social unrest, and sent over 200 notices to 18 websites, social media platforms and forum operators, asking them to remove over 3,500 doxxing links.
