Stand News has said it will be filing a formal complaint to privacy authorities after an unidentified police officer displayed one its reporters’ Hong Kong ID cards to thousands of viewers for some 40 seconds during a livestream from a mall rally in Tai Po yesterday.
Police were making arrests inside Tai Po’s Mega Mall yesterday after protesters gathered there for a “Shop With You” rally when a Stand News reporter who was livestreaming the event asked some armed men in plainclothes whether they were police officers, the outlet reports.
An argument allegedly broke out, with men purporting to be police officers (but not displaying warrant cards) taking reporter Ronson Chan behind a police cordon and demanding to see his ID, according to Ming Pao. One officer then told the reporters to “remember to record” the interaction, and held the reporter’s ID card in front of the cameras for an extended period. (You can watch a video of the incident here.)
Other reporters at the scene quickly denounced his actions calling it an invasion of privacy, but police quickly fired back, “You’re the one in control of the camera, you turned it on yourself.”
Netizens roundly condemned the officer’s actions, which were more than a little ironic given many officers’ refusal to display their own identification, purportedly over fears of doxxing, which bad actors online have used to target both police and protesters.
Stand News Editor in Chief Chung Pui Kuen said a formal complaint will be filed to the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) against the officer, and he demanded police provide his full name and badge number. In a statement, meanwhile, the Hong Kong Journalists Association “strongly condemned” move, and similarly called on the Privacy Commission to investigate.
Legal sector LegCo member and lawyer Daniel Wong said “police have no legal authority to do such a thing, it’s got nothing to do with inspecting, making arrests and intercepting. If any form of damage was made, he can be reported.”
Indeed, Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong appeared to agree, telling RTHK that while a formal complaint had not yet been lodged, there was good reason to investigate the apparent violation of data protection principles.
According to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, the punishment for violating any personal data is a maximum fine of HKD$100,000 and up to two years in prison.
