Overview
- Authorities gazetted changes now in force that allow police to require passwords or other decryption methods to access electronic devices in national security cases.
- Refusing to comply can lead to up to one year in jail and a HK$100,000 fine, while giving false or misleading information can draw up to three years and HK$500,000.
- Demands may be made with a magistrate’s warrant or by officers above assistant commissioner rank and cover owners, controllers, authorized users, and anyone who knows the credentials.
- The rules specify that confidentiality duties do not excuse non‑disclosure, a point critics say threatens privacy and professional protections for journalists, lawyers, and doctors.
- Customs officers are newly empowered to seize items deemed seditious even without an arrest, as officials defend the measures and plan to brief lawmakers on Tuesday.