{"slug": "extreme-caution-urged-for-hongkongers-as-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-in-ai", "title": "Extreme caution urged for Hongkongers as data privacy complaints jump 62% in AI era", "summary": "Privacy complaints in Hong Kong jumped 62% year on year to 2,990 in the first half of 2026, with the information technology sector accounting for 867 cases, according to Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling, who urged residents to exercise extreme caution when sharing personal data during online shopping and membership sign-ups, as personal data has become a valuable, tradeable commodity in the AI era.", "body_md": "# Extreme caution urged for Hongkongers as data privacy complaints jump 62% in AI era\n\nCommissioner says the public should think twice before sharing details during online shopping and membership sign-ups, adding that personal data is highly sought after\n\nHongkongers should exercise extreme caution in guarding their personal data, especially during online shopping and membership sign-ups, the city’s privacy watchdog has said after privacy complaints jumped more than 60 per cent year on year in the first half of 2026.\n\nPrivacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said on Saturday that residents’ personal data had become a valuable, tradeable commodity in the age of technology.\n\nThe Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data received 2,990 complaints in the first half of the year, a 62 per cent increase from the same period last year.\n\nOf these, the information technology sector accounted for the highest number, with 867 cases.\n\nChung attributed the spike to the artificial intelligence (AI) era, in which data could be collected, processed and used rapidly and at scale, leading to more online disputes.\n\n“Public awareness regarding personal data and privacy protection has also improved,” she told a radio programme.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/extreme-caution-urged-for-hongkongers-as-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-in-ai", "canonical_source": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3364134/extreme-caution-urged-hongkongers-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed", "published_at": "2026-08-15 05:50:43+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-15 06:12:08.678905+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Ada Chung Lai-ling", "Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/extreme-caution-urged-for-hongkongers-as-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-in-ai", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/extreme-caution-urged-for-hongkongers-as-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-in-ai.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/extreme-caution-urged-for-hongkongers-as-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-in-ai.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/extreme-caution-urged-for-hongkongers-as-data-privacy-complaints-jump-62-in-ai.jsonld"}}