Hong Kong SIM Registration Law Raises Privacy Concerns

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Privacy and data are also a concern for the new SIM card law, according to Lennon Yao-chung Chang, senior lecturer on cybercrime at the Monash University in Australia.

He said growing distrust between the government and citizens could be the reason for the SIM card legislation, and he expressed concern about where the data from the real-name registration will end up.

"We will never know what this data will be used for. Even with the government's promise, I will still be hesitant … and again, what if there are identity thefts and leaks of personal data?" Chang asked in an interview.

That concern has been shared by more than half of Hong Kong's citizens, according to a survey by the city's opposition Civic Party in March during the consultation period.