SME Privacy Protection Campaign Launches to
Gather Wisdom and Build Sustainable Competitive Advantage
The office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD), together with members of the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA), launches the “Privacy Awareness Week 2018” (PAW 2018) from 7 to 13 May. The theme of PAW 2018 in Hong Kong is “Privacy: From Principles to Practice”, aiming to raise awareness of the importance of “protect and respect personal data” culture among companies / organisations as well as members of the public.
The PAW 2018 Inauguration Ceremony, attended by an audience of over 200, was held this afternoon (May 8). It coincided with the Kick-off Ceremony of the Privacy Campaign for SME. Officiating at the two ceremonies were the Non-official Member of the Executive Council and Member of the Legislative Council, the Honourable Jeffrey Kin-fung LAM, GBS JP, and the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (Privacy Commissioner), Mr Stephen Kai-yi WONG.
Addressing the ceremonies, the Honourable Jeffrey Lam said, “Borderless as they are, cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and threatening as adversaries are more determined, resulting in continued increase in the number of people affected. However, due to limited resources, SMEs may not have sufficient knowledge on the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO). The PCPD therefore plays a pivotal role in the areas of promotion and education. I am very glad that the PCPD organises the yearly PAW. With support from many chambers of commerce this year, the office also hosts the SME Privacy Protection Campaign. Through publicity and education, the office is able to raise public awareness of protecting and respecting personal data in the community, especially among SMEs.
The Privacy Commissioner, Mr Stephen Wong, pointed out that the use of data undoubtedly brings about huge business opportunities for various trades and industries, but also new challenges to the protection of personal data privacy. He said, “At present, there are about 330,000 SMEs in Hong Kong, which constitute over 98% of the business establishments. This shows that SMEs are the pillar and driving force of Hong Kong’s economic development. At the same time, they handle vast amounts of personal data in their business operations. With the ever-rising expectations of customers and members of the public with regard to protection of their personal data, SMEs should proactively protect personal data privacy to gain customers’ trust, so as to enhance their corporate reputation, competitive advantage and potential business opportunities.”
The Privacy Commissioner continued, “To assist the SMEs to enhance personal data protection, the PCPD has launched a dedicated hotline (2110 1155) and email (sme@pcpd.org.hk) service providing convenient and effective channels for the SMEs to raise their related enquires on compliance with the provisions of the PDPO.”
After the Kick-off Ceremony, the PCPD staged the Forum on Cyber Security. The panel featured Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Mr Peter King-shun YAN, Detective Senior Inspector, Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Dicky Tik-ki WONG, and Senior Personal Data Officer of the PCPD, Ms Nicola TANG. Facilitated by Honorary President of The Hong Kong Information Technology Federation Member and Standing Committee on Technological Developments of PCPD, Mr Francis FONG, the panel speakers shared their insights and experience concerning data protection in the context of cyber security.
This year, the PCPD is very honoured to have invited the renowned veteran of the media industry, Ms Candy Shuk-mui CHEA, to serve as the Privacy Ambassador. Her widely accepted positive image can definitely help disseminate messages on personal data privacy protection. Also, the PCPD has specially designed four new posters this year, and they are available on the PCPD website for free download.
The PCPD organises various publicity and educational activities during the PAW 2018, including radio mini-drama series, media interviews, and interactive campaigns and talks for students and elderly. For more details, please refer to www.pcpd.org.hk/paw.
Irrespective of ages, we should all pitch in on privacy protection! Through the “Student Ambassadors Programme”, the PCPD joins hands with partnering schools to run privacy protection activities on campuses. Representative of the PCPD will promote the understanding of the PDPO among the elderly in an elderly programme named《快樂長門人》to be broadcast on TVB Jade on 12 May. In addition, five talks have been arranged during the PAW in collaboration with social welfare agencies to share tips with the elderly on how to protect their personal data in their daily life.
The APPA, formed in 1992, is the principal forum for privacy authorities in the Asia Pacific Region to form partnerships and exchange ideas on privacy regulation, new technologies and the enforcement actions. There are currently 20 members. The PCPD is a member of the APPA, and also a standing member of its Governance Committee. The PAW is an annual international event jointly held by the members of the APPA, aiming to raise public awareness of the importance of protecting personal data privacy through weeklong public education activities. In this year’s PAW, Hong Kong is joined by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, Macao, etc.
Details of the PAW 2018 in Hong Kong are now available on www.pcpd.org.hk/paw.
To see the PAW 2018 promotional activities of other APPA members, please visit www.appaforum.org/paw/.
SOURCE: Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong – May 8