Hong Kong, Oct 23 — The Hong Kong government has implemented a ban on most civil servants using popular applications such as WhatsApp, WeChat, and Google Drive on their work computers, citing potential security risks. This decision comes as part of new IT security guidelines issued by the Digital Policy Office, which has left many civil servants expressing frustration over the added inconvenience.
While government employees will still be permitted to use these services on personal devices while at work, exceptions to the ban can be made with managerial approval. IT experts noted that similar policies have been adopted by various companies in response to growing concerns over data leaks and cybersecurity challenges.
Sun Dong, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, emphasized on a radio program Tuesday that the ban is necessary due to the escalating severity of hacking incidents. He pointed out that both the U.S. and Chinese governments have implemented stringent measures to protect their internal computer systems.
A civil servant, identified only as Lee for anonymity, revealed that her office frequently relies on cloud storage services to exchange large files with vendors outside the government. This highlights the potential disruptions the new policy could cause in day-to-day operations.
Francis Fong, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, mentioned that officials indicated the policy is intended to prevent malware from circumventing firewalls via encrypted messages. He suggested that the guidelines are also aimed at addressing data breach issues.
Cybersecurity expert Anthony Lai, director of VX Research Limited, a firm with operations in Hong Kong and Britain, supported the government’s stance. He attributed the need for such measures to a general lack of cybersecurity awareness among some staff members and the absence of comprehensive internal monitoring systems.
The urgency of this policy shift has been underscored by recent data breaches across various Hong Kong government departments, which compromised the personal information of tens of thousands of individuals and raised significant public concern over data security.
