Government scrambles to protect election candidates from doxxing in coming Hong Kong district council polls, with need for home address registration scrapped
- All eyes are on November 24 event, as embattled pro-establishment bloc expected to take beating at the ballots under current political climate
- Constitutional and mainland affairs chief Patrick Nip warns of vacuum in district councils if polls cannot be held, with current members’ terms ending
Candidates running for the coming district council elections in Hong Kong will no longer need to provide their residential addresses for the government’s gazette, authorities said on Saturday in a bid to protect individuals from doxxing.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen made the announcement as the city braced for its 19th straight weekend of protests, with opposing camps resorting to tactics such as leaking personal data online or cyberbullying.
Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, Nip said the government would amend election laws so that when the list of candidates was announced on October 30, the accompanying addresses could be from their workplace or an external postbox instead of their homes.
“There is a situation in society in which people are doxxed or threatened for having different views,” he said.
While the original plan was to implement the change for the Legislative Council elections next year, Nip said it was brought forward to respond to such concerns.
