296
Hong Kong Cases
[2008] 1 HKC
was not a voluntary act initiated by YHHK, for it was compelled to do so
under PRC law, including art 45 of the PRC Criminal Procedure Law
(art 45).4
38. Accordingly, the Commissioner concluded that the control which
YHHK had over the relevant information was vitiated by the operation of
PRC law. In this sense, YHHK had no control over the data disclosure, and
YHHK was accordingly not a ‘data user’ as defined under s 2(1) of the
Ordinance.
D3. The Ordinance had no extra-territorial application
39. Thirdly, the Commissioner was of the view that since the Ordinance
did not contain provisions conferring extra-territorial application, applying
the territorial principle, the Ordinance did not extend to any act
committed by a foreign party on foreign soil (for this purpose, the PRC is
considered a different jurisdiction from Hong Kong).
40. The Commissioner was further of the view that the territorial
principle was illustrated by s 39(l)(d) of the Ordinance, mentioned above,
which the Commissioner interpreted as providing a set of conditions to be
fulfilled before he can exercise his powers of investigation.
41. The Commissioner found that none of the conditions contained in
s 39(l)(d) was satisfied. There was no evidence to show that the appellant
was a Hong Kong resident; or that he was in Hong Kong when the act was
committed or had a right accrued in Hong Kong; nor was there evidence
to show that his personal data was collected, held, processed or used in
Hong Kong; or that the Disclosure Order was issued to YHHK in Hong
Kong; or that the disclosure in question was made in Hong Kong.
42. Of particular relevance was the condition contained in
s 39(1)(d)(i)(B), which provided that ‘the relevant data user was able to
control, in or from Hong Kong, the collection, holding, processing or use
of the personal data concerned.’ The Commissioner was of the view that
it sufficed to find jurisdiction if any part of the data cycle was at the
relevant time controlled by a relevant data user ‘in or from’ Hong Kong.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
43. However, in line with his conclusion that YHHK had no control
over the data disclosure, and that YHHK was not a ‘data user’ in the
present context, the Commissioner concluded that condition 39(1)(d)(i)(B)
had not been satisfied.
I
4.
Article 45 provided as follows (unofficial translation): ‘The People’s Court, the People’s
Procuratorates and the public security organs shall have the authority to collect or obtain
evidence from the units and individuals concerned. The units and individuals concerned shall
provide truthful evidence.’