ENG-2008 — Page 77

The Legal System ❘ 37

Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) was established in 1996 as an independent statutory body under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) to monitor, supervise and promote compliance with the ordinance.

In February, the PCPD invited the privacy authorities from the UK and British Columbia, Canada to an open forum to share with participants their views on data protection from the regulator's perspective. Following the success of the Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) 2007, the PCPD launched the PAW 2008 jointly with its Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities counterparts from Australia, Canada and New Zealand in August to raise awareness of the importance of protecting privacy in the region.

To meet the growing demand for more in-depth knowledge on personal data privacy, the PCPD held thematic seminars for a wide spectrum of data users from different sectors. In addition, it organised seminars on the 'Introduction to the PDPO' for the general public throughout the year.

In 2008, the PCPD handled 946 complaints and 13 112 enquiries. Seven enforcement notices were issued and four cases were referred to the Police for prosecution. There were two successful convictions pertaining to data access request and non-compliance with enforcement notice respectively. Because of public concern about leakage of personal data incidents, the PCPD stepped up measures to promote compliance with the PDPO. The PCPD handled 16 matching applications and 96 compliance checks. An inspection into the patients' personal data system of a hospital under the Hospital Authority (HA) was conducted to see whether compliance with security requirements of personal data under the PDPO could be improved. A report afterwards made 37 recommendations, all of which were adopted by the HA.

Websites

Administration Wing, Chief Secretary for Administration's Office: www.admwing.gov.hk

Department of Justice: www.doj.gov.hk Judiciary: www.judiciary.gov.hk

Legal Aid Department: www.lad.gov.hk

Home Affairs Bureau: www.hab.gov.hk

Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau: www.cmab.gov.hk Intellectual Property Department: www.ipd.gov.hk