Hong Kong investigates database breach

Identity card numbers of 1,100 residents published to protest proposed privacy law.

Among those whose identity cards were published were some of the city's tycoons, including two sons of Asia's and Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka-shing.

The database was assembled by corporate governance activist David Webb who posted the database online to protest the proposed law that will restrict access to information on company directors.

Webb insists that ID numbers should not be regarded as secrets since they tell you virtually nothing about a person. He said the ID numbers are identifiers and not personal data.

The city's privacy commission investigating the database for possible personal data breach said publishing the ID numbers could pose a risk to privacy.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said that if ID card numbers coupled with other personal data such as names and home address fall into the wrong hands, the affected person could be at risk of identity fraud.

The commission did not rule out the possibility of taking further enforcement action.

Under the proposed law, corporate directors could ask to have their residential addresses and full identity card or passport numbers blocked from public view, which the government has said would help protect their privacy.