The legal framework
Defamation follows common law principles under the Defamation Ordinance. The 2021 amendments to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance created a doxxing offence and gave the Privacy Commissioner power to issue cessation notices, including to overseas platforms. The Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 criminalised voyeurism and publication of intimate images.
Key points
| Defamation | Common law rules; libel actionable without proof of damage |
|---|---|
| Doxxing | Criminal offence with extraterritorial reach; cessation notices available |
| Intimate images | Publication and threats to publish criminalised in 2021 |
| Voyeurism | Separate offence created in 2021 |
| Harassment | No general statutory tort of harassment; remedies rely on other causes of action |
| Privacy Commissioner | Can require removal without court proceedings |
| Defamation Ordinance | Civil claims, with truth and fair comment as defences |
| Criminal intimidation | Applies to threats made online |
| Interim injunctions | Available but granted sparingly in defamation |
In practice
- Capture evidence first: full screenshots with URL, date and surrounding context, before anything is deleted.
- Report to the platform and keep the reference number and the outcome.
- Then use the legal route — the order matters, because platforms act faster than courts.
- Do not respond in kind: your own posts become evidence too.
- For doxxing, ask the Privacy Commissioner for a cessation notice rather than suing.
- For defamation, send a letter before action setting out the words and the harm.
Cost and coverage
Complaints to the Privacy Commissioner are free; civil defamation is expensive.
Recent changes
The doxxing cessation notice regime is one of the few administrative takedown mechanisms in Asia that reaches overseas platforms.
Where to go
- Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data — doxxing complaints.
- Police Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau.
- RainLily for image-based sexual abuse support.
Worth knowing
If personal details are published to harass you, frame the complaint as doxxing rather than defamation: the administrative route is far quicker and does not require you to sue. The doxxing regime has extraterritorial reach and the Commissioner can serve notices on overseas platforms. It is the fastest removal route available.
Official sources and links
- GovHK — official government portal