Launch of a booklet on protection of personal data

1.   The Estate Agents Authority (EAA) and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) have jointly published a booklet entitled Proper Handling of Customers' Personal Data by Estate Agents with the aim of deepening the estate agency trade’s understanding of the practical skills required to protect their clients' personal data.

2.  The booklet is one of the highlights of the Personal Data Privacy Campaign for the Estate Agency Trade. During the one-year campaign, the PCPD has organised seminars for individual estate agencies and trade associations to explain the provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance and to analyse related cases. From August 2008, when the campaign kicked off, to the end of May 2009, a total of 30 seminars were held, with more than 1,400 enrolments.

3.    Acting Chief Executive Officer of the EAA Mr Anthony Wong, PMSM, said, "Estate agency practitioners' work involves collecting and handling their clients' personal data. The booklet explains the principles and provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance in an easy-to-understand way, and with elaboration using individual cases, in order to help practitioners master the relevant practical knowledge required to handle their clients’ personal data properly and gain their trust."


4.   Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Mr Roderick Woo said, "Since the launch of the Personal Data Privacy Campaign for the Estate Agency Trade, the number of enrolments has exceeded 1,000. Participants included both frontline employees and managerial staff, a clear indication that the trade attaches great importance to the protection of clients’ personal data. I believe that through the seminars, the trade can incorporate the concept of protecting personal data into their working environment."


5.  The EAA will send copies of the booklet to estate agency trade associations and major estate agency companies. The booklet will also be freely available in the offices of the EAA and PCPD and District Offices. The web version of the booklet has been posted on the websites of both the EAA (www.eaa.org.hk/publications/documents/privacy.pdf) and the PCPD (www.pcpd.org.hk/english/publications/infor_book.html).




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