Promoting Awareness

International and Regional Liaison

The PCPD strives to ensure that the Ordinance is compatible with the requirements of international business partners - especially in e-commerce so that Hong Kong can thrive as an international business hub.

In fulfilling one of his statutory duties to liaise and co-operate with overseas privacy authorities on matters of mutual interest concerning personal data privacy, the Privacy Commissioner always exchanges and shares information on topical privacy issues with data protection authorities in other jurisdictions.

The 26th Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum

The PCPD hosted the 26th Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) Forum from 8th to 10th November 2006 in Hong Kong. It was the first time the Forum was held in Hong Kong.

The APPA is a formal structure established in 1992 (formerly known as PANZA) for regional privacy authorities to form partnerships and exchange ideas about privacy regulation, new technologies and the management of privacy enquiries and complaints. APPA convenes twice a year and members take turns to host the Forum.

Mr. Wong Yan Lung, SC, JP, Secretary for Justice (right) and Privacy Commissioner Mr. Roderick Woo proposed a toast at the Welcome Reception of the 26th APPA Forum on 8 November 2006.	Professor John Bacon-Shone, former Chairman of the Privacy Subcommittee of the Law Reform Commission (right, middle photo) and Mr. Ambrose Lee, Secretary for Security (right photo) delivered speeches on "covert surveillance" at the 26th APPA Forum on 10 November 2006.

At present APPA comprises the Office of the Privacy Commissioner Australia, Office of the New South Wales Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Privacy Commissioner New Zealand, Office of the Information Commissioner Northern Territory, Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner, Korean Information Security Agency and the PCPD.

Day one of the Forum was a closed-session for Privacy Commissioners and their staff to discuss permanent agenda items like jurisdictional reports from each delegation and an initiative-sharing roundtable.

On the second day of the Forum, representatives of Agencies and Departments involved in privacy administration or privacy-related issues were invited to speak on privacy issues in relation to "consumer credit data", "CCTV", "Smart ID Card in Hong Kong" and "privacy protection measures by corporations".

Events on the third day of the Forum were open to the public. Two distinguished speakers, Professor John Bacon-Shone, former Chairman of the Privacy Sub-Committee of the Law Reform Commission and Mr. Ambrose Lee, the Secretary for Security, were invited to speak on the current issue of covert surveillance. Professor Bacon-Shone made a brief introduction on privacy development and matters in the recent report of the Law Reform Commission. Mr. Lee spoke on the enactment of the Interception of Communications and Surveillance Ordinance. After the presentations, all APPA privacy commissioners held a panel discussion answering questions from the audience and exchanging views and experiences in their respective jurisdictions. The audience included local law students and members of the Data Protection Officers' Club.

Snapshots of the 26th APPA Forum.

APEC ECSG Data Privacy Subgroup

At international level, the Privacy Commissioner has been actively involved in the Data Privacy Subgroup (DPS) of the Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG) under the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). In 2004, the DPS developed an APEC Privacy Framework, which was endorsed by APEC ministers. Since then, the DPS has been working towards the implementation of the Framework in relation to cross-border transfers of personal information in the context of e-commerce.

On 6-7 September 2006, the Privacy Commissioner attended the DPS meeting at Da Nang, Vietnam. The Cross-Border Privacy Rules Study Group was formed and the Privacy Commissioner joined as member of the Group. The Group aimed at developing a set of Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) for the private sector that comply with and implement the APEC Privacy Principles. The development of the CBPR would contribute towards building consumers' trust and confidence in e-commerce with regard to cross-border transfer of personal data in the digital age.

In working towards the international implementation of the Framework, the DPS also focused its attention to information sharing among jurisdictions and cross-border cooperation in investigation and enforcement. Restrictions under local laws on sharing of investigation information amongst privacy regulators were discussed and current cross-border cooperation arrangements were considered. As the core protector of personal data privacy in Hong Kong, the Privacy Commissioner will continue to participate in the DPS by providing his comments and sharing his experience with other member economies from a regulator's perspective.