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Hong Kong court bans publishing police details, including photos
HONG KONG, Oct 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A Hong Kong court has banned people
from publishing a wide range of personal details about police officers and
their families, including photos, in a bid to halt “doxxing” by pro-democracy
protesters.
The temporary injunction, uploaded on government websites overnight, was
criticised by some on Saturday for its broad wording and for further
shielding the identity of officers as they clash with protesters.
The semi-autonomous Chinese city has been battered by nearly five months
of seething pro-democracy rallies in which police and protesters have fought
increasingly violent battles.
The police force says many of its officers have had personal details
leaked online — known as “doxxing” — and family members harassed as a
result.
Lawyers for the force went to Hong Kong’s High Court on Friday asking for
an injunction forbidding people from publishing a slew of personal
information including key details such as names, addresses, dates of birth
and identity card numbers.
But they also sought a ban on publishing details about a police officer’s
Facebook and Instagram IDs, their car number plates and any photograph of an
officer or their family without consent.
The court granted the injunction for 14 days pending a longer legal
hearing. The injunction also bans “intimidating, molesting, harassing,
threatening, pestering or interfering” with any police officer or family
member.
The current wording leaves no exceptions, including for media, making it
unclear how it will be applied and whether it will restrict work by
reporters.
Police did not respond to requests for clarification.
Anthony Daparin, a lawyer who has written a book about the city’s protest
movement, described the ban as a “very alarming development”.
“(It’s a) serious restriction on freedom of expression and effectively
criminalises a whole range of perfectly lawful acts which will now be
punishable as contempt of court,” he wrote on Twitter.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association said it was “extremely concerned”
about the potential limitations to media freedoms and said it was seeking
legal advice.
Hong Kong’s police have already faced criticism for hiding their
identities during clashes by removing warrant card numbers from their
uniforms, as well as using face masks and shining bright torches at
reporters.
Earlier this month the city’s pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam used a
colonial-era emergency law to ban protesters from wearing face masks.
But the ordinance was widely flouted by protesters incensed that police
are still allowed to cover their faces.
Police counter that they are facing unprecedented levels of public anger
and abuse and need to protect their staff from retribution and harassment.
Pro-Beijing lawmakers defended the injunction.
Hong Kong has been riven by seething protests for the past 20 weeks, with
violence spiralling on both sides of the ideological divide.
Hardline protesters have thrown Molotov cocktails and bricks at police, as
well as vandalised businesses perceived as being pro-China. Earlier this
month an officer was stabbed in the neck.
Police have responded with increasing amounts of rubber bullets, tear gas
and even live rounds in recent clashes.
BSS/AFP/ARS/0927 hrs