Hong Kong's strict doxxing laws led to the arrest of a 35-year-old woman who allegedly exposed her husband and his former lover, revealing the details of their relationship on social media. The information shared against the victim and her husband were publicized via a group chat, where there were negative comments and allegations against the affected parties.
Doxxing laws are massive in many countries, and it aims to protect the rights and privacy of individuals from indecent public exposure online, especially in this time of social media prominence.
Hong Kong Resident Charged and Arrested for Alleged Doxxing
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According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data in Hong Kong, a resident was arrested earlier on alleged charges of doxxing against her husband with regard to a former lover.
The 35-year-old woman is the wife of the husband who had developed a relationship with the victim, who previously disclosed personal data to group chats with negative retorts.
In the report, the victim disclosed this information to the wife, saying that she and the husband have engaged and developed this close relationship from 2019 to 2021.
The Hong Kong privacy watchdog said that the woman violated section 64(3A) of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO) of the country.
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Woman Faces Charges for Doxxing in Group Chat
According to the South China Morning Post, the PCDP claimed that there were three messages that the wife sent on the group chat from November 2021 through May 2022 containing the allegations against the victim.
Public doxxing in Hong Kong is punishable by law for up to five years and upholds a fine of up to HK$ 1 million ($128,000).
Doxxing and the Internet's Move Against It
It is not only Hong Kong that has laws against doxxing, as many countries have also passed their versions of privacy and protection for its residents from indecent public exposure made online. Also, several tech companies have specific rules and regulations against these online actions, and one of them is Twitter with its anti-doxxing policies.
Most of the cases regarding doxxing center on exacting revenge against individuals, may they be former lovers or friends, with some going to the extreme by posting lewd images and other forms of media online.
Another known website against doxxing is the online forums website, Reddit. The social networking platform previously banned two alt-right subreddits on the platform for violating the company's policies against the improper behavior these users have been engaging with online.
While there are stages to these accounts which engage in doxxing online, there are some who repeatedly violate the policies enough to suspend and ban them permanently on these platforms.
And it is not only online platforms that center on disabling doxxing against victims online, but also government watchdogs that aim to uphold privacy and data protection in their countries, like Hong Kong. Their anti-doxxing laws were established in 2021, where they may resort to criminal investigations against these charges, and prosecute violators in the process.
Related Article: Google Creates New Search Policy to Prevent Doxxing
