The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has issued two investigative reports:
Investigation Report: Excessive Online collection of private tutors’ personal data by tutorial service agency websites
From the executive summary:
In respect of the collection of private tutors’ Hong Kong Identity Card numbers by six tutorial service agency websites, namely, Hong Kong Tutor Association, Tutor-Tone, Hong Kong Tutorial Consultancy, looking4tutor.com, go2tutor.com and Hong Kong University Students’ Education Network, and the collection of contact persons’ information of private tutors by Hong Kong Tutor Association, Tutor-Tone, Hong Kong Tutorial Consultancy, looking4tutor.com and go2tutor.com, the Commissioner has found that the data collected was excessive, thus contravening the requirements under Data Protection Principle 1(1) in Schedule 1 to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Cap 486 (the “Ordinance”). The Commissioner has served separate Enforcement Notices on the five companies/ proprietors running those websites, directing them to take remedial actions and prevent recurrence of the contravention.
Read the report (pdf)
Investigation Report: Excessive Collection and Online Disclosure of Personal Data by Employment Agencies Placing Foreign Domestic Helpers
From the executive summary:
The Commissioner discovered that a number of employment agencies were displaying on their websites massive personal data provided by foreign domestic helper applicants. In addition to the applicants’ personal data, the personal data of their family members and former employers were displayed unnecessarily for the purpose of introducing the applicants to prospective employers. The collection of excessive personal data, and improper disclosure of personal data on the Internet were in breach of the Data Protection Principles 1(1) and 3 respectively of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Cap 486.
Read the report (pdf)