Hong Kong grants police power to demand phone and computer passwords

The new provisions allow police to seize items with ‘seditious intention’, bypassing judicial authorisations.

Hong Kong police are now empowered to require anyone suspected of violating the semi-autonomous city’s national security law to hand over passwords to their mobile phones or computers.

Officials will brief lawmakers on the new provisions on Tuesday, ‌a government statement said. The measure, which took effect on Monday, is part of the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 following large, sometimes violent, pro-democracy protests in this Chinese territory.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, but it retained a high degree of autonomy under the so-called “one country, two systems”. The move to curb rights following the 2020 protests has placed doubt on Hong Kong’s status as an international financial and business centre.

The city government gazetted the new amendments to the implementation rules of the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020, using powers to bypass Hong Kong’s legislature.

Refusing to comply could lead to up to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,768), while providing ⁠false or misleading information could bring up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 500,000 Hong Kong dollars ($63,840).