Police have arrested eight people for allegedly publishing the private details of police officers working on the front lines of anti-extradition bill protests over the past few weeks.
Superintendent Swalikh Mohammed of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) told reporters this afternoon that they had arrested six men and two women, aged 16 to 40, in relation to the so-called “doxxing,” in which individuals’ private information is obtained and leaked online.
Anger against the police force has surged since a June 12 extradition bill protest, which saw officers use tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and bean bag rounds on demonstrators.
During today’s briefing, livestreamed by Apple Daily, Mohammed confirmed that 800 police officers had reported being doxxed, with their full names, their family members’ names, their Hong Kong ID card numbers, phone numbers, addresses, and other details disseminated online.
He added that the disclosures had resulted in officers and their family members being confronted by strangers while going about their daily lives, getting nuisance calls, and even receiving threatening messages telling the officers that they and their families will die.
“If someone online conducted doxxing activities and disclosed personal data, it might, it could contravene the laws of Hong Kong,” Mohammed said, noting that that the distribution of personal data without an individual’s consent is illegal.
Mohammed condemned the behavior, insisting that the internet was not a lawless place, and adding that the operation is ongoing and that more arrests may follow.
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