Following the new national security law passed in Hong Kong last week, social media firms like Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp have said they are not giving users’ data to the government. Here are the details of this story.
Pro-democracy activists and supporters in Hong Kong have suffered a major blow recently. Last week, the Chinese government announced a new ruling for Hong Kong. This new law criminalised protests chants such as “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time!”
It led to speedy changes in the city. The New York Times reports:
“… the defiant masses who once filled Hong Kong’s streets in protest have largely gone quiet. Sticky notes that had plastered the walls of pro-democracy businesses vanished, taken down by owners suddenly fearful of the words scribbled on them.
“Parents whispered about whether to stop their children from singing a popular protest song, while activists devised coded ways to express now-dangerous ideas.”
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Since social media platforms that operate in Hong Kong were used as a means of spreading activists’ ideas, it was inevitable that they would come into the discussion.
Allegedly, the Hong Kong government has started sending requests to these companies to provide data of users. ABC News claims that Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram are among the first to respond officially.
Facebook and WhatsApp responded that they will not process the Hong Kong requests for users’ data. The companies want the government to give put human rights priority in its National Security Law. It also directs that it should consult international human rights experts.
A Telegram spokesperson, Mike Ravdonikas assures users that their data is safe. Ravdonikas says that Telegram will not share any data with the Hong Kong government, adding that it has never done so in the past.
It is likely a matter of time before Hong Kong starts to impose internet restrictions like the Chinese Great Firewall that is in place in mainland China. This will be its only resort if the social media companies refuse to corporate.
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