Latest news with #OfficeOfThePrivacyCommissioner
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Half of Hong Kong organisations audited by watchdog collect personal data using AI
Half of 48 organisations checked by Hong Kong's privacy watchdog collect or use personal information through artificial intelligence (AI) systems, with most having contingency plans for data breaches. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Monday no contravention of privacy laws was found during the compliance checks conducted from February to May this year. The checks covered 60 local organisations across sectors such as telecommunications, banking, retail, education, public utilities and government departments. Among them, 48 used AI in their daily operations, with most having done so for more than a year. The watchdog also found that 24 organisations collected or used personal data through AI systems. Nineteen retained the data, although the retention periods were specified. All 24 organisations had alerted users and also specified the purposes for which their data was to be used, it added.
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong watchdog flags new scam involving complaints from ‘neighbours'
Water leakage and noise complaints from 'neighbours' are now a new type of scam for acquiring personal information and money, Hong Kong's privacy watchdog has revealed, with residents reporting cases of swindlers reaching out to them via text messages on mobile phones. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Monday that it had received four inquiries and two complaints since March from different residential estates in Kowloon and the New Territories. 'Fraudsters claiming to be the neighbours of victims would first complain about water leakage or noise problems through text messages, requesting victims to reply for further discussions,' a spokesman for the office said. 'Once the dialogue is initiated, the scammers would then employ different tactics to gain trust of the victim, including pretending to be romantically interested, to obtain money or personal information, or both,' he said. According to the spokesman, the scammers would trick victims into clicking and accessing an unknown link, which would lead them to a bogus website that could glean their personal information. The office said the six cases it received were confirmed to be scams after being investigated by the management of the respective residential estates, as it called on Hongkongers to stay vigilant against this novel way of deception.
