---
title: "The Legislative Council reviews strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure, authorities say it does not target trade secrets or personal data"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/227302436.md"
description: "The government has proposed legislative recommendations to strengthen the protection of computer systems for critical infrastructure, and the Legislative Council's Bills Committee is currently reviewing it. Relevant parties are concerned whether sensitive data such as personal information and trade secrets will be involved. The Security Bureau stated that if it involves computer security incidents or criminal investigations, the government has the right to request information and will formulate relevant codes to clarify requirements. The legislation will not target trade secrets and personal information, and operators must have an office in Hong Kong for regulatory purposes"
datetime: "2025-02-06T02:53:45.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/227302436.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/227302436.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/227302436.md)
---

# The Legislative Council reviews strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure, authorities say it does not target trade secrets or personal data

The government has proposed legislative recommendations to strengthen the protection of computer systems for critical infrastructure, and the relevant bill committee of the Legislative Council continues to review it.

Legislative Council member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, Elizabeth Quat, expressed concern about whether the "requirement to provide information" section would include sensitive data, such as personal information or trade secrets, and how to handle cross-border data. She also asked whether the regulations would cover requests for necessary information from outsourced service providers, for example, in "emergency situations" involving national security issues, and expressed concern that if outsourced service providers refuse to provide relevant information due to geopolitical reasons, it could create loopholes.

Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, stated that if it involves computer security incidents and threats, or criminal investigations, authorities have the right to request information, citing examples such as through court orders. He mentioned that authorities would formulate relevant codes of practice and provide examples of "reasonable suspicion" to help operators better understand.

Chris Tang reiterated that the legislation is absolutely not aimed at trade secrets and personal data, and authorities will comply with the law in its enforcement. Regarding how operators should supervise outsourced vendors, Chris Tang believes that while operators can outsource work, they cannot outsource responsibility. Authorities suggest regulating through contractual means and will establish requirements in the practical code of conduct.

In response to the government's proposal that any critical infrastructure operator must maintain an office in Hong Kong, Legislative Council member from the legal sector, Dennis Kwok, noted that the provisions do not mention the scale of the office and whether merely providing an address would suffice.

Chris Tang responded that authorities require a physical office to follow up on situations and will clarify this in the practical code of conduct

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