- Suspects were involved in inciting others to violate coronavirus isolation rules and disseminating fake news about pandemic
- Legco members ask security chief Chris Tang if specific law to combat fake news is required and whether a more timely response to Covid-related rumours is needed
A rumour on social media about an impending lockdown frightened Hongkongers and led to mass panic buying. Photo: Dickson LeeHong Kong police arrested 19 people for offences, such as spreading false information, during the city’s fifth wave of coronavirus, the city’s security minister revealed on Wednesday.
Chris Tang Ping-keung told a Legislative Council meeting the suspects were allegedly involved in inciting others to violate anti-epidemic rules, inciting others to damage government isolation facilities or disseminating fake news about the pandemic.
On March 15, police arrested two men on suspicion of using social media to encourage Covid-19 patients to spread the virus, with one suspect ignoring isolation rules and dining out while infected.
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Lawmakers asked Tang if the city needed a specific law to combat fake news about the government’s anti-pandemic work, and whether officials could be more timely in quashing false information.
“One of the most influential pieces of ‘false information’ was a voice memo released by the end of February, saying Legco had a closed-door meeting to vote for a citywide lockdown,” said lawmaker Nixie Lam Lam, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.
“Can the government clarify this kind of misinformation more promptly?”
She was referring to a bogus message which sprang up across social media platforms, saying Legco would soon vote on a motion that allowed the government to impose a lockdown.
The memo sparked citywide panic buying, with customers making a beeline for supermarkets and grocery shops, emptying shelves of daily necessities from instant noodles to meat and vegetables.
In response to Lam’s question, the secretary for security said: “As the accusation pointed to Legco, we believe it is more appropriate for Legco to clarify, and I agree that any misinformation should be clarified quickly.”
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Tang added that although the city did not have a “fake news” law, existing legislation contained provisions to deal with the dissemination of inappropriate information. Any act to incite others, including online, was subject to relevant laws as long as it involved a criminal offence, he added.
Acting home affairs minister Jack Chan Jick-chi said a study exploring how the city could combat fake news or disinformation online by examining overseas experience would be completed by June as scheduled.
The study is looking at options such as criminalising the spreading of fake news and issuing advice for platforms to remove inaccurate content.