Data hk is the collection of facts or statistics that have been gathered together for reference or analysis. It can be in the form of numbers or text and normally has some context and meaning attached to it, such as product sales by region, electricity meter readings, or names of employees. Data hk is often enriched with information from outside sources such as government demographic or economic data, weather or from market research organisations to add further context and relevance.
A data hk that is available for public use, or in formats that can be easily converted into other formats for reuse, is called open data. Ideally, it will be saved in an open file format such as a text or csv spreadsheet, so that it can be easily understood and used by anyone.
If Hong Kong moves towards a definition of personal data similar to that in the EU or China, it could mean additional protection for individuals and increased compliance measures for companies who use data. This would especially apply to businesses that process data that learns about an individual’s behaviour, or that will have a direct impact on them.
It is important for businesses to understand the rules relating to the transfer of personal data overseas and how these differ from the laws in Hong Kong. Padraig Walsh from the Data Privacy practice group at Tanner de Witt discusses some of the key differences.
The PDPO defines personal data as information relating to an identifiable individual. This is in line with the definition of personal data under other laws – including the PIPL that applies to Hong Kong, and the GDPR that applies to the European Economic Area. In addition, the PDPO makes it clear that data users who transfer personal data to data processors located outside Hong Kong are still liable for any breach of the PDPO.
As a global leader in the data centre industry, Hong Kong has many competitive advantages to offer. These include its proximity to the Mainland, a business environment that is pro-business and well-regulated, a transparent and independent legal system, free flow of information, reliable power supply and telecommunications infrastructure and low risk from natural disasters. However, data centres require a high level of security to ensure that their critical services are uninterrupted. The Government is committed to supporting the development of data centres in Hong Kong, including the identification of suitable sites for their development and appropriate land disposal arrangements.
