🌊 Free Tide: Hong Kong lawmakers pass anti-doxxing bill
🌊 Free Tide: Hong Kong lawmakers pass anti-doxxing bill
Anti-doxxing bill passed, police make National Day preparations, 10 more district councillors ousted and more...
Good morning,
Hey everyone! Unfortunately I have a pretty politics/NSL heavy news feed for you today, so buckle in…
~ Sze Yu
Anti-doxxing bill passed despite warnings from Facebook, Google and Twitter
Pro-establishment lawmakers have passed an anti-doxxing bill, under which anyone who discloses an individual’s personal data without consent and “with intent to cause harm” faces five years in jail and a fine of HK$1 million. Pro-establishment lawmakers said the bill was only the first step in the battle against doxxing.
In July, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), which represents members including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Yahoo, said the then-proposed legislation was too vague and broad. The tech giants warned that they might stop offering services in the area if the law went ahead.
The issue of doxxing was brought into the public eye during the 2019 pro-democracy protests, during which pro-democracy supporters exposed police officer’s private information online.
COVID news
Coronavirus in Hong Kong
New cases: 5 (imported)
Hong Kong police plan to mobilise over 8000 officers to ensure National Day security
The preparations will be carried out to ensure the safety of the official ceremonies, including the flag-raising and cocktail reception events. Police will cordon off the area in Wan Chai around Golden Bauhinia Square and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
2019 National Day (the Communist Party’s 70th anniversary) saw massive protests and fierce clashes between protestors and police, including a police officer shooting a protestor at close range. After the introduction of the NSL, however, dissent on 2020 National Day was far more subdued.
Events & Exhibitions
Our events are handpicked from public exhibitions, partnerships/collaborations and also just stuff we find cool. We want to make sure that what we advertise is interesting for our readers, so if you go to an event that you saw here, let us know by taking a selfie and tagging us on Twitter or Instagram ( both @harbourtimes ).
We’ll throw in a free month of Paid High Tide for yourself or a friend!
ReThink Hong Kong
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Ponte Orchestra: Mahler V
Are you a Mahler fan? I know I’m sorta ambivalent but that’s mainly because I couldn’t understand any theory assignments based on his work and almost failed first year music theory at University.
I do however love loud romantic composers and Mahler is one of them. I also really like the Ponte orchestra which has not disappointed at all in their programme choices. We previously covered their Collaboration Concert with the EU (United in Diversity), as well as their performance of Bach’s German Requiem on High Tide.
Join me at their concert Oct 3, 8pm at City Hall!
10 more pro-democracy district councillors disqualified
10 pro-democracy district councillors, whose allegiance was questioned after last week’s oath-taking ceremony, have all been ousted. The former-councillors face a five year ban on running in elections.
During the 2019 district council elections, a landslide pro-democracy win boosted by record-high voter turnout helped the opposition party win 392 out of 452 directly elected council seats. After the past few months of NSL-related resignations and disqualifications, just 105 opposition councillors remain.
Other updates
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has requested banks to report their exposure to Chinese property giant Evergrande, The Standard reports. The property developer missed a $85.3 million interest payment last week and has another payment due today.
An online “June 4th Museum“ providing a virtual archive of the events leading to the Tiananmen Square Massacre has been blocked by several of Hong Kong’s major telecom providers, including Smartone, China Mobile Hong Kong, 3HK and CSL. Police confiscated exhibits at a separate real-life museum 3 weeks ago.
National security police have frozen funds and property held by now-disbanded Tiananmen Square vigil group. The group has come under NSL security in recent months and voted to disband last Saturday.
Clockenflap announced yesterday that its upcoming November event has been cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Authorities allegedly required attendees to be seated, with no food or drink allowed on site.
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