Facebook, Google suspend processing Hong Kong government data requests

Tech companies have long operated freely in Hong Kong, a regional financial hub where Internet access has been unaffected by the firewall imposed in mainland China, which blocks Google, Twitter and Facebook. — AFP

Facebook Inc, Google Inc and Twitter Inc suspended processing government requests for user data in Hong Kong, they said on July 6, following China’s establishment of a sweeping new national security law for the semi-autonomous city.

Facebook, which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, said in a statement it was pausing reviews for all of its services “pending further assessment of the National Security Law”.