Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Privacy watchdog demands Facebook tell Hong Kong users personal data was leaked

Privacy watchdog demands Facebook tell Hong Kong users personal data was leaked

While the hack occurred in 2019, Ada Chung, privacy commissioner for personal data, notes information involving 3 million city residents can ‘still be used’ by criminals.

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has renewed its demand that Facebook notify its 3 million users in the city that their personal data has been leaked online, after the US social media giant failed to respond to a similar request made two days ago.

The city’s privacy commissioner for personal data, Ada Chung Lai-ling, on Tuesday said her office first contacted Facebook’s Hong Kong office on Sunday, the day news broke of a massive leak involving more than 500 million users worldwide.

“We wrote to Facebook immediately and have been in contact with its staff. They told us the data was from a leak that took place in 2019. The data concerned included usernames, Facebook IDs, email addresses, phone numbers, locations, dates of birth and their bios,” Chung told an RTHK programme on Tuesday.

Hong Kong’s privacy commissioner has now twice requested that Facebook notify Hong Kong users directly about the recent leak of their personal information.


Her office has requested the California-based firm inform Hong Kong users of the leak as soon as possible, as those affected could still be using the same phone numbers and email addresses they were two years ago.

“They still have not responded to us on this officially, but we have already reminded them. Facebook must handle the problem quickly and properly,” Chung added.

Shortly after the data emerged online, Facebook revealed it had been hacked in 2019 and said the security issue had been fixed in August of that year.

Local media reports have suggested lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a former security minister, was among those whose personal data was made publicly available. According to Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, the web page carrying the leaked information was no longer accessible as of Tuesday.

Chung, the privacy commissioner, expressed concern that criminals could use the data for nefarious purposes such as stealing identities to borrow money.

“Even though the data was from an old leak, it can still be used [by criminals],” she said.

“Some people may pretend that they know you, because they already have some information about you, then try to gather more personal information.”

She urged Facebook users to update their passwords and begin using a two-step verification process.

While no reports have indicated passwords were compromised, Facebook did not comment when the Post asked about the issue on Tuesday, nor did it pledge to notify affected users.

“We have been in contact with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data about the incident, and clarified that this is old data that was previously reported on in 2019. We found and fixed this issue in August 2019. We will continue to keep in close contact with the office in regards to their inquiries,” a Facebook spokesman replied.

While Facebook said the issue had long been fixed, Fong, the IT expert, said: “The data has already been leaked. What’s done cannot be undone.”

“The data has already been leaked for two years. What have hackers done with this data? … We don’t know if the data included passwords. The set of data made public doesn’t contain passwords, but it doesn’t mean the hackers don’t have them,” he added.

He urged Hongkongers to use different passwords for different internet platforms.

Facebook has been battling data security problems for years. In 2018, it was revealed that political consultancy Cambridge Analytica accessed the information of about 87 million Facebook users without their consent. Facebook later disabled a feature that allowed anyone to search for users via their phone numbers.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×