HK Can't Allow Internet Use To Harm Society Again: CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Thursday that prevention is better than cure when it comes to stopping fake news in the media and disinformation on the internet from harming society.

Delivering a speech via video-link at the Forum on Network Media of China, Lam said order on the internet was lost during the anti-government protests of 2019 and this endangered Hong Kong.

She said the chaos was partly caused by fake information spread on the web by people with ulterior motives, adding that many students were incited to break the law and undermine national security.

Lam said the government will plug loopholes in existing legislation and it is also studying how to deal with fake news.

"In view of rapid technological advances, the existing laws may not be effective in handling various illegal acts on the internet, such as maliciously disclosing other people's personal information, disseminating hate and discriminatory remarks and publishing fake news," she said.

"Therefore, we should keep reviewing our legislation and plug any loopholes proactively."