About Personal Data Privacy

Introduction

The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of Hong Kong of 1996, and its associated amendment of 2012, seeks to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to the collection, usage, and handling of their personal data.

According to the Ordinance, personal data would include any data that could be used to directly or indirectly ascertain the identity of a living individual (data subject) and which are in a form in which access or processing is possible. The holder (data user) of such data is required to take the necessary actions to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, as a data user, needs to ensure that the requirements of the Ordinance are complied with and that the personal data being held are accurate, secure, and used for the purposes stated when such data are collected (and will not be used for any other purpose except in accordance with the law). Data subjects, in our case, would include (but not limited to) our staff and their dependents and affiliates, students, alumni, applicants, donors, and others involved in research, experiments, seminars, exchanges, recruitments, and other University activities.

Personal data privacy is a University-wide matter and it is necessary for all staff members of the University who handle personal data to observe the relevant rules and regulations and to take the necessary precaution and steps to ensure the privacy of personal data.