Exam CIPP-A topic 1 question 22 discussion

Origins of, and influences on, the Ordinance The Ordinance’s enactment was not prompted by any significant public demands or major controversy, but was led by the then colonial administration, influenced by local elite opinion. It was a positive and not a reactive process, influenced by European developments and their potential effect on trade with Hong Kong. The history of the Ordinance’s development shows that the Hong Kong government was concerned about possible limits on personal data flows from Europe as early as the 1981 Council of Europe Data Protection Convention, BUT heightening in the early 1990s as the European Union (EU) Data Protection Directive developed. From 1989 the HKLRC was given a very broad reference on privacy protection, and following public consultations published recommendations for data protection legislation, the majority of which were embodied in the 1995 Ordinance.