Hong Kong: Some of the world's major internet and social media platforms said they will stop processing requests for user data made by Hong Kong law enforcement authorities while they carry out an assessment of a controversial security law imposed by China on the city.
Facebook and its messaging service WhatsApp said that they would "pause" the review of information requests from the Hong Kong government "pending further assessment of the impact of the National Security Law, including formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts." Facebook (FB) said the company believes "freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and support the right of people to express themselves without fear for their safety or other repercussions."
Twitter (TWTR) confirmed that it has also paused all requests from Hong Kong authorities for data and information while it reviews the law. "Like many public interest organizations, civil society leaders and entities, and industry peers, we have grave concerns regarding both the developing process and the full intention of this law," the spokesperson said.
A Google spokesperson said that when the law took effect, they "paused production on any new data requests from Hong Kong authorities, and we'll continue to review the details of the new law."
Popular video conferencing platform Zoom (ZM) followed suit, saying that it will pause processing data requests from and related to the Hong Kong government. The company said it is "actively monitoring the developments in Hong Kong SAR, including any potential guidance from the US government."
The law imposed last week by Beijing criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign powers, a sweeping change that critics describe as an attack on freedoms of speech and the press that have long existed in Hong Kong but are prohibited on the Chinese mainland. The vaguely defined rules broaden the power of officials to investigate, prosecute and punish both foreign nationals and citizens for anything deemed to be promoting secession or subversion of the government, like 'inciting hatred' of the central Chinese authority.
The law is a major shift for Hong Kong, which has been run under the "one country, two systems" principle since Britain formally handed authority of the territory over to China in 1997. The internet is not censored in Hong Kong and residents are able to access social media platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Google (GOOGL) that are banned on the mainland.
