From Democracy Wall to Sim Card Real-Name Registration and Tracing App, Hong Kong People Are Under Increasing Surveillance

The Democracy Wall in the University of Hong Kong. Nov. 29, 2022.Sung Pi-Lung/The Epoch Times

At a time when the “White Paper Revolution” in China is booming, the students at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are required to add their student ID before posting any messages on the Democracy Wall (bulletin board) on campus, HKU announced on Nov. 29.

In addition to speech control in colleges, real-name registration is being required by the Hong Kong authorities for such things as SIM card use, buying stocks and shares, and installing the Leave Home Safe app.

Real-Name Registration of Sim Cards

The Hong Kong authorities are tightening restrictions on prepaid SIM cards. Users will be discontinued if they fail to complete the real-name registration of their numbers on or before Feb 23, 2023.

In September 2021, the government passed the Telecommunications (Registration of SIM Cards) Regulation to implement the Real-Name Registration Programme for Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) Cards. The program requires all users to register their SIM cards with their real names before activation.

The move raised public concern that authorities might take advantage of the SIM card and track people’s everyday movements or their whereabouts.

Law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong can obtain the relevant mobile phone information on their own on the grounds of need due to “urgency” or an “emergency.”

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau Tang-wah, once asked that the regulations authorize the police to request telecommunications companies to provide registration information without a court warrant in urgent situations. When asked whether a so-called emergency includes National Security Law cases, he answered, “It depends on the regulations themselves. If the National Security Law allows for a certain situation, a court warrant is not required.”

Hong Kong Investor Identification

In addition to the telecommunication sector, the Hong Kong regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), has introduced an investor identification regime (HKIDR) at a trading level for the securities market in Hong Kong and an over-the-counter securities transaction reporting regime (OTCR) for shares listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (now HKEX) in 2022.

This allows relevant regulators to quickly obtain information about investors who place orders and will strengthen market monitoring and prevent insider trading.

Risk-Exposure App Tracking Citizens

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, the government has announced its strict social-distancing rules and developed a risk exposure app (Leave Home Safe) that records people’s visits to different venues.

Although the government reiterated that records from the “Leave Home Safe” app are only stored on users’ devices, an extra installation of a vaccine pass required to enter certain venues, such as restaurants, theaters, and shopping malls, will actually record the identity of the user, and thus, the government can collect the digital footprint of each registered citizen.