Debt collector, 20, held in Hong Kong after 15 doxxed over unpaid loans

A 20-year-old debt collector has been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of doxxing 15 people by publishing their personal information online without consent over unpaid loans, the city’s privacy watchdog has said.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data revealed on Thursday that in late September, 16 messages containing the personal data of 15 victims were posted on two personal accounts of a social media platform, alleging that those individuals had failed to repay their debts.

The personal data disclosed included the victims’ Chinese names, partial addresses, partial or full telephone numbers, as well as partially obscured photos of their Hong Kong identity cards.

The identity card photos also exposed their Chinese and English names, Chinese commercial codes, partial card numbers, dates of birth, genders and portraits.

Some posts additionally included other photos of the victims, the names of their employers, their job titles, and the personal data of their family members.

The privacy commissioner said the suspect was released on bail, adding it would continue its investigation into the case.

The watchdog reminded the public that doxxing was not an acceptable method for recovering debts. “Doxxing is not a means to resolve disputes as it would only escalate conflicts,” it said in a statement.

“Moreover, identity cards and other identification documents contain sensitive personal data. Any reckless or intentional disclosure of copies of identification documents without the data subjects’ consent may constitute a doxxing offence.”