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Hong Kong government under fire over ‘unacceptable’ data breaches affecting 130,000 people, as lawmaker urges disciplinary action

  • Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat says department heads should be held accountable over ‘unacceptable’ cybersecurity failures
  • Data of almost 130,000 people leaked in string of breaches at major public bodies revealed in recent days

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Hong Kong government headquarters. Authorities have been urged to take a more centralised approach to cybersecurity. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong authorities are under pressure to strengthen cybersecurity measures after a string of data breaches at major public bodies affected nearly 130,000 people, with a legislator urging disciplinary action against department heads for any future failures.
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Lawmaker Elizabeth Quat, who chairs the Legislative Council’s information technology and broadcasting panel, said on Monday that civil servants should be held accountable, as such incidents were “unacceptable”.

“I think the Civil Service Bureau should task the heads of all government departments and public bodies, as well as those who are responsible for their IT projects, to be accountable and responsible for the security work of their computer systems,” she said.

“They must ensure that the computer systems have all the necessary security measures and that the privacy of residents can be protected.”

Quat said authorities must investigate problems caused by human error and take action against those responsible.

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Many cybersecurity failures in government departments were a result of management issues or human error, she said, noting it was not enough to simply rely on the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer to provide guidelines.

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