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Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor defended a new service provided by the Transport Department, which alerts people whose cars have been subject to a license plate search, saying the move was made to curb doxxing.
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Beginning last Saturday, the Transport Department will offer the option of notifying registered car owners by email if their vehicles are targeted by searches.
The new arrangement has raised eyebrows within the media industry, as journalists fear this may tip off the subjects of their investigations.
But speaking before her weekly Executive Council meeting yesterday morning, Lam dismissed these concerns, saying the government has to ensure the privacy of citizens.
“We have seen in the past year or two that many people, when inspecting these public registers, got hold of the personal data and engaged in all sorts of intimidation and doxxing that would harm the owners,” Lam said.
“Therefore the government is rolling out measures to protect the privacy of citizens, and I think this arrangement by the Transport Department is very reasonable,” she added.
Lam also said the new arrangement will in no way affect press freedom.
“The administrative measure taken by the Transport Department is no more than alerting the person that somebody has checked your personal data. That’s it,” she said.
“I really don’t see how this will undermine the work of the media and hence I do not see why media should be exempt from the administrative procedure that the Transport Department has put in place,” Lam added.
Lam also told the same press briefing that she will exercise with caution her power to authorize the interception of calls for investigation of national security cases, but that she cannot spell any details.
Her comment came after the Commissioner on Interception of Communications and surveillance said on Monday that he has no power to look into national security cases and thus will not know if there are any irregularities involved.
“It is true that Article 43 of the National Security Law allows law enforcers to intercept communications with the approval of the Chief Executive while taking part in national security operations,” Lam said.
“But everyone need not worry, as those extra powers will be used very carefully and there will also be a lot of constraints, which is very similar to those employed by the commissioner,” she added.
According to the Interception of Communications and Surveillance Ordinance, law enforcers have to apply to a panel judge for authorization to conduct interception of communications or surveillance.
Lam also stopped short of mentioning operation details for the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong SAR -- the top committee formulating policies of national security in Hong Kong.
She also played down recent attacks from state media against the judiciary after People’s Daily slammed High Court judge Alex Lee Wan-tang, who was designated for handling national security cases, for granting Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying bail.
It also warned that mainland China might take over jurisdiction of Lai’s national security law case.
“If there are people who want to express a view based on their understanding of the law, the facts and evidence, then this is what the media always advocates, this is freedom of speech,” Lam said.
“I really cannot see how these comments would put pressure on the judiciary … every judge has taken a judicial oath and will not be intimidated or undermined by such comments when discharging their duties,” she added.
Lam said she herself, as well as the secretary for justice, have repeatedly made public statements urging people to respect the judiciary, uphold judicial independence, not to criticize judges for their decisions without any grounds and to condemn personal attacks on judges.
