Ex-Hong Kong worker arrested for allegedly displaying ex-colleague’s ID card

Suspect allegedly put up posters containing ex-colleague’s identity card, says Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has arrested a former school worker for allegedly putting up posters near the campus that contained the identity card details of an ex-colleague and negative comments about the person.

The 52-year-old woman was arrested by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner on Tuesday following an investigation and granted bail.

She was suspected of having disclosed the personal data of her colleague without her consent, in contravention of section 64(3A) of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, one of the clauses related to doxxing offences.

A person who commits an offence under this section faces a fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,810) and two-years’ imprisonment.

The suspect and the victim worked at the same school between 2019 and last year. But their relationship “turned sour” because of work grudges, according to the watchdog.

A source said they were both non-teaching staff. The suspect resigned soon after the alleged offence.

“In July 2022, posters were displayed near the school on two occasions, disclosing copies of the victim’s Hong Kong identity card and some negative remarks about her,” the office said.

The watchdog reminded the public that disclosing copies of identity cards containing sensitive personal data without consent, either arbitrarily or maliciously, could constitute another doxxing offence and be punishable by up to five years in jail and a HK$1 million fine.

The watchdog handled 1,764 doxxing cases in 2022, up by nearly 70 per cent from 2021, and arrested 11 people last year and one person the year before, when the legislature passed the bill making the act a crime.
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