Protection Of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Bill Published In The Gazette

In July 2024, we issued a legal update¹ on the proposed introduction of the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (Computer Systems) Bill (the Bill) and mentioned that there would be a one-month consultation period with the relevant sectors after discussion with the Legislative Council. Following the consultation exercise, the Hong Kong government has now published the Bill in the Gazette and will introduce it into the Legislative Council for First Reading and Second Reading on 11 December 2024.

In this article, we highlight some key provisions as noted from the Bill.

Key provisions in the Bill

1. Definitions of critical infrastructure and critical infrastructure operator – While confirming that critical infrastructure means any infrastructure that is essential to the continuous provision in Hong Kong of an essential service in a sector specified in Schedule 1² or any other infrastructure the damage, loss of functionality or data leakage of which may hinder