A number of tech companies affiliated with the Asian Internet Coalition (AIC) including Facebook, Google and Twitter have threatened to leave Hong Kong if they change its privacy laws.
The threat came in a letter sent by the AIC, in which proposed amendments to Hong Kong's privacy laws could subject individuals to severe sanctions and could make companies liable for doxing campaigns.
These tech companies fear that their employees could face criminal investigation or even prosecution if users share personal information online, even if they don't mean badly.
"Totally disproportionate and can silence freedom of expression. Introducing restrictions aimed at individuals is not in line with global norms and trends," the coalition wrote.
Citing Reuters, the only way to avoid sanctions for these technology companies is to not invest and offer their services in Hong Kong.
In the six-page letter, Asian Internet Commission Managing Director Jeff Paine acknowledged that the proposed amendment focuses on the security and privacy of individuals' personal data. However, it wants to emphasize that doing doxing is a serious problem.
During anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019, doxing, which is the act of publicly releasing personal or identifying information about a person or organization, came into focus as police were targeted after details of their personal data were released online.
Details of the home addresses of some officials and children's schools were also revealed by anti-government protesters. Some of them threaten them and their families online.
"We believe that anti-doxing laws, which can have the effect of restricting freedom of expression, should be developed based on the principles of necessity and proportionality," the AIC coalition said.
To date, Facebook, Twitter and Google have declined to comment. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data acknowledged that it had received a letter written by the coalition. He said new measures were needed after doxing pushed 'moral and legal' limits.
He stressed that the changes to the law will not affect freedom of expression, nor will it prevent investment from overseas companies into Hong Kong territory.
Earlier, there were fears that pro-China officials would abuse the amended law to silence dissent and rubber-stamp articles.
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