Personal Data Privacy Liability - The Net Is Tightening In Hong Kong!

The Personal Data Privacy Commissioner ("the Commissioner") is empowered to act in response to a complaint duly made under the Personal Data Privacy Ordinance ("the Ordinance") to require whatever information would be useful to assist him in review of the complaint.

The complainant had alleged that his personal data held by an employment agency which he had consulted for a new job had been transferred by the agency to a third party without the consent of the complainant. 

This being, at least prima facie, a breach of a data protection principle as scheduled to the Ordinance, the Commissioner was well within his rights to seek further information.

Accordingly, a first attempt was made to obtain the information from the director of the data user employer agency and no response was received.