Data hk is a digital infrastructure foothold in one of Asia’s most important business hubs. It offers international and Chinese cloud providers, professional services firms and fintech startups direct network access to customers and partners around the world. The company’s Hong Kong nodes are located in Equinix data centers that host the leading regional internet exchange and are carrier-dense network hubs, providing a strategic digital infrastructure foothold in one of the most important business hubs in Asia.
A mooted revision to the definition of personal data is likely to increase compliance measures for businesses who use data relating to individuals. This would mean that even a combination of data such as that found on a staff card (name, photograph, company name and employee number) might be considered personal data under the PDPO and thus subject to the same protections. This is because it could be used to identify a particular individual.
In the event of a breach, data users are liable under the PDPO for their own actions and those of their agents or contractors. This is true regardless of whether the data processing cycle takes place in or out of Hong Kong.
Investigation and prosecution of direct marketing practices continue to be the focus for the Commissioner, although fewer cases have been recorded in recent years due to increased awareness amongst data users. The PDPO makes it an offence to provide a third party with personal data for the purposes of direct marketing without the consent of the data subject. This can be punishable by fines up to HK$500,000 and imprisonment for three years.