Commissioner Woo,

"I am writing to you as a dear and valued colleague. Building on the previous good relationships between previous Hong Kong and Australian Commissioners since 1997, for over three years you and I have enjoyed an excellent productive working relationship. During this time we have worked collaboratively as members of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum, in the implementation of the APEC Privacy framework and as part of the International Data Protection Commissioners Conferences. Our staff members have also forged links as we plan for Privacy Awareness Week and as we examine important global issues affecting the handling of personal information of our citizens. Our cooperative working relationship at the Commissioner and office level has been a highlight for me personally and I believe has seen witness to enhanced data protection outcomes.

I look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration."

"The task of a regulator can be a lonely affair. But it is greatly alleviated by establishing strong working relationships with other regulators. The Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner (Privacy Victoria) was established in July 2001. From its inception this office has greatly benefited from the wisdom and experience of the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioners of Personal Data and our offices respective staff have established excellent working relations. As we administer similar legislation and have similar functions we are able to share our thinking on many topics which has the added benefit of encouraging consistency of approach. In our early days we successfully adopted the Hong Kong initiative of having a Data Protection Officers' Club and established our own Privacy Victoria Network of public sector privacy officers which continues to flourish. Since I was appointed Commissioner in March 2007 I have greatly benefited from being able to seek advice and exchange ideas with Mr. Woo, and other members of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities."

"Through organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities and the International Conference, Commissioner Woo and your office play a very important role in helping to address international privacy issues.

In today's wired world, it is no longer possible to protect privacy on a country-by-country basis – international data flows are too great; technologies are evolving too rapidly; and jurisdictional challenges can seem too daunting. Given the growing importance of the Asia Pacific economies, your participation in the global privacy dialogue is critical.

I deeply value the relationship our two Offices have developed while working together to find global solutions for growing privacy challenges."

"As Canada's Asia Pacific province, British Columbia has strong
social and economic ties with Hong Kong, and these are reflected
in the long-standing connections between Hong Kong's Office
of the Commissioner for Personal Data and the Office of the
Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.
Hong Kong is fortunate to have an oversight agency that is
active, innovative and highly respected internationally for its
leadership in privacy enforcement. Our offices keep in close
touch and we benefit a great deal from our relationship with our
friends and colleagues in Hong Kong."

"In a globalised world and an ever-expanding information
society, the protection of personal data has become increasingly
important. Data protection authorities around the world must
therefore build alliances and work together in order to effectively
protect personal data. I am therefore very pleased that the Hong
Kong Privacy Commissioners' Office and the Dutch Data
Protection Authority have solid and pleasant working relations.
The Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner's Office is an important
partner in Asia and I sincerely hope to be able to work closely
together with my colleague in the years to come."

"In the age of globalization, cooperation between privacy
commissioners from all continents has become most essential
in protecting people's personal data privacy from the abuse of
information technology and massive data flow.

The sharing of practices among commissioners has enhanced our
ability and enabled us to deal with complaints about international
data transfer more effectively. It also allows us to exchange
views and reach consensus on topical privacy issues, which are
constantly changing due to technological evolution, and have
great impact on the ever-growing population in the world. We are
very pleased that Hong Kong has joined the annual International
Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners since
the establishment of its office. At present, the Commissioners
of France, Netherlands and Hong Kong form the Accreditation
Committee in the International Conference and so we have a special
working relationship.

As in every country with data protection law, the Privacy
Commissioner in Hong Kong is obliged to maintain transparency
by reporting its activities in the annual report, which is a
fundamental guarantee of the independence that each Privacy
Commissioner must demonstrate as a part of his duties.
Sometimes it is hard to strike a balance between social and
commercial interests. Every year we read Hong Kong's annual
report with great interest. We wish Mr Roderick WOO great
success in his undertakings. He can count on our cooperation."

"Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of 1996 which
after the New Zealand's Privacy Act 1993 was the second privacy
law outside Europe to cover the private as well as the public sector.
Both laws are based on internationally accepted standards on
fair information practices and are therefore very similar.

Over the years, the two privacy commissioners' offices have built
a special relationship and have learnt much from each other. It
has been useful for us to work together on many initiatives, for
example on Asia Pacific Privacy Awareness Week, and in the
contribution on Asia/Pacific approach to international privacy
issues at the International Privacy Commissioners Conference.
I firmly believe that this enduring relationship will enhance the
protection of personal data across the region and beyond."

"The need for personal information to be properly protected
and for privacy to be adequately safeguarded has never been
greater. Rapid developments with ever-cheaper technology, highprofile mistakes and scandals and the influence of dedicated
Commissioners have transformed data protection into a truly
mainstream issue. Everyone is now aware that concerns on the
part of the public, the media and politicians have multiplied the
reputational and regulatory risks of getting things wrong. On
top of this, the march of globalisation has made data protection
a truly international topic. The closeness of our respective
approaches was really brought home to me during my visit in
February 2008 alongside David Loukidelis, the Commissioner
for British Columbia in Canada. The British and Hong Kong
approaches especially have so much in common that it was such
a rich and mutually educational visit for exchanging so much
information about strategies and tactics for making the law
work in practice."