'Inward-facing Dash Cams In Taxi May Be Unlawful'

Former privacy commissioner Allan Chiang said on Sunday his successor should look into whether the use of inward-facing dashboard cameras in taxis could be unlawful.

This comes after a recent leak of a video showing two celebrities kissing in a taxi raised concerns about Hong Kong’s privacy laws.

Speaking on RTHK's City Forum, Chiang said the video may constitute an unfair collection of personal data.

Chiang also questioned whether the use of such cameras was proportionate with the aim of raising the standards of taxi drivers.

“If this is the only aim that we are talking about, then the installation of car cams would be disproportionate,” he said. “There would be many other alternatives, less intrusive means to achieve the same aims.

“Why should their private data be sacrificed to serve the aims of those taxi drivers not behaving properly?”

Another speaker of the forum, IT expert Francis Fong, said the laws regulating the use of recording devices in taxis and other public transport s outdated and should be reviewed.

“I think the privacy of the people in the car is not protected, and also the driver’s rights are not protected, so I think there are reason why we have to amend the law,” he said.