Google forwards some data at Hong Kong government request?

In Hong Kong, crackdown on anti-government activities has been strengthened with the enforcement of the Hong Kong National Security Law on July 1, 2020. In response, major IT companies, such as Google and Facebook, showed a resistance and stopped delivering user data to the Hong Kong government. It was reported that it was delivered.

The Hong Kong National Security Law is aimed at cracking down on acts of subversion against Hong Kong or acts of inciting hatred against the Chinese government and the Hong Kong government in collusion with foreign powers intervening in Hong Kong. is stipulated It criticized the collapse of the one country, two systems that guaranteed freedom of the press in Hong Kong, and major IT companies such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter expressed opposition. As a result, we have stopped providing user data to the Hong Kong government.

After Google announced in August 2020 that it would provide user data directly to the Hong Kong government in the future, it responded to the data disclosure request through a criminal cooperation treaty with the United States and notified the Hong Kong police authorities. However, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), a non-profit news site based in Hong Kong, responded to three out of 43 requests received from the Hong Kong government between July and December 2020 after the Google Hong Kong National Security Law went into effect on September 11, 2021. Reportedly providing user data.

According to HKFP inquiries, one out of three requests for user data provided by Google is an urgent, credible, life-threatening disclosure request, and two are related to human trafficking. These three requests are not through the Criminal Assistance Treaty, but Google’s global policy is that the urgent disclosure request for life threats is not necessary through the Criminal Assistance Treaty.

Google said that three of the data it provided to the Hong Kong government did not include user content data. According to Google policy, government agencies can provide information such as user name, related email address, phone number, IP address, billing information, and related Tangim stamp email header such as login. In addition, although Google sometimes notifies users by email of government requests, Google did not answer the HKFP question as to whether notifications were made to users in three of these requests.

In addition, in a transparency report released in June, Facebook rejected all 202 requests for user data from the Hong Kong government in the second half of 2020, and Twitter did not respond to a single Hong Kong government request in the second half of 2020. Apple and Microsoft did not announce whether they would make a request during this period.

Google says the HKFP is still demanding that most Hong Kong government requests go through diplomatic procedures, including those related to maintaining national security. However, one security expert pointed out that it is surprising that Google’s announcement coincides with the official 2020 statement and does not even explain why it does not comply. Related information can be found here.