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• 02.19.08 Privacy Talk @ HKU
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  Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 7:09PM / Standard Entry / Members only
  23 comments

  Yesterday I was at the RC Lee Hall High Table Dinner @ Hong Kong University.  They have their High Table dinner once a month and will sometimes invite guest speakers to talk about various social issues.  I was invited to the High Table dinner to talk about the issue of Privacy Law and the Social Responsibility of Media In Hong Kong. 
  
  This is the second talk I have done on this subject with students in Hong Kong.  The 1st talk was done at CUHK in January.  Basically I am doing this series of talks on behalf of the HKPAG, (Hong Kong Performing Artists Guild), as a grassroots campaign to provide information, spread awareness, and inspire debate on this topic.  Privacy rights in H.K is one of the key issues that the HKPAG is fighting for.  Previously they have commissioned an academic survey from the HKU Public Opinion program on 4 leading tabloid publications in H.K and also to gauge Hong Kong public's opinion on privacy rights, laws, and media responsibility.  The PAG has used information from this report to lobby government officials in H.K to pass laws for better privacy protection. 
  
  As an active member of the HKPAG, I was 1st involved with the subject when they asked me to do some research on privacy laws in H.K and laws in other countries.  Months later, a CUHK law student name Janelle Zai contacted me, then interviewed me about my views on this issue.  She was writing a thesis on privacy laws in H.K with some classmates, and found out through a friend that I have done some research on the subject.  Janelle and friends' thesis was completed last year. 
  
  After reading Janelle's thesis, I got the inspiration to work with the PAG to create this grassroots campaign on the issue.  Lobbying for new legislation is a long process that can take years.  Between the HKU academic survey and Janelle's thesis, there is lots of good information about the issue that really more people should know.  So I thought that it would be very good if I worked with the PAG to bring the information from these 2 reports to H.K students. 
  
  Last month I produced a short film on privacy rights in H.K and at the talk @ HKU yesterday and also at CUHK, I would show the film, then have a Q & A discussion with the students.  For each of these talks, Dr. Robert Chung of the HKU Public Opinion program and Janelle were also there to field questions from students.  Because Dr. Chung and Janelle are experts on this subject, it is really good for students to have the opportunity to interact with them and formulate their own opinions on privacy rights and media responsibility. 
  
  I really enjoyed the talk yesterday at HKU.  There were over 300 students at the High Table dinner, basically everyone at the R.C Lee Hall.  We had a very good Q & A session and it makes me feel really good to see students ask questions and state their own view points on the issue. 
  
  I would like to thank Dr. Chung for arranging the talk yesterday.  He is also the Warden @ the R.C Lee Hall.  Thank you Janelle for being there answering questions at the talks, and also the students who organized the High Table dinner.  I really enjoyed myself and would like to thank you all for your hospitality. 
  
  Thank you Jezzjunk for being there as well and for taking photos.  I hope the talks were interesting for you!
  
  Special thanks to Diesel for sponsoring the short film I shot with my friend Kim on this subject! 
  
  Here are a few photos from the talk yesterday.  I will post more photos if/when I receive them.
  
  
  At the High Table dinner.  The food was actually really good!
  
  
  
  At the assembly for the short film screening and Q & A session.  It was fun!
  
  
  
  Jezzjunk and her camera.  One of these days I have got to learn how to use mine! 
  
  I will continue the privacy talk series at other schools in H.K in the coming months.  The next talks we are having will be early March.  I will write again to talk about those sessions. 
  
  I will be posting the short film I shot about privacy rights on the HKPAG profile page and also on www.hkpag.org, when the site is launched in the next week or so. 
  
  I also have a forum thread in my forum titled, "Your Right To Privacy."  If anyone is interested in having a discussion with me about privacy rights in H.K, please make a post in my forum.  I will be checking the forum regularly and will respond to comments there. 
  
  That's it for now!  Peace!
  
  T
  
  

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