Tracking function for Hong Kong’s ‘Leave Home Safe’ app would not be illegal, privacy commissioner tells lawmakers

Privacy commissioner Ada Chung made the assessment under questioning from lawmakers pressing for the inclusion of such a feature amid a surge in coronavirus cases. In the same hearing, constitutional affairs chief Erick Tsang did not say whether a tracking feature was in the works, but stressed ‘that the pandemic is at a critical juncture’. — SCMP

Adding a tracking function to Hong Kong’s Leave Home Safe contact-tracing app would not violate data protection laws, the city’s privacy commissioner said on Thursday, under questioning from lawmakers pressing for the inclusion of such a feature amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling said the existing law did not preclude an operator from incorporating a tracking function into a mobile application, citing social media apps as an example.