DPP says upskirt pics and intimate shots may need to be banned

The city may need specific laws to deal with intrusions of people's "intimate privacy" that are separate from common law offences such as outraging public decency, the chief prosecutor says.

Privacy violations, such as taking secret photographs of celebrities and snapping images up the skirts of women, came up in considerations for criminal justice reform, one of the most pressing issues on the agenda of the director of public prosecutions, Kevin Zervos SC.

"Maybe we need an offence provision that deals with a violation of someone's intimate privacy where people are very intimate at their home, in their private premises or circumstances. That needs to be recognised," he said.

Asked if the proposed law sought to target paparazzi, Zervos said: "It depends on how far you go. If you are filming someone in an intimate act, that's not appropriate. Instances like that should be protected."

Zervos said anybody, not just the media, could be the perpetrator of such acts.

"This sort of conduct is unusual. But it's a violation of people's intimate privacy. It should not be tolerated and should be addressed, maybe by a specific offence provision."

Last year two entertainment magazines were rapped by the privacy watchdog for taking intimate photos of Bosco Wong Chung-chak and two other TVB actors in their homes using long lenses.