[2008] 1 HKC
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Shi Tao v Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data
(Administrative Appeals Board)
297
44. Accordingly, the Commissioner concluded that the matter
complained of fell outside the jurisdiction of the Ordinance.
D4. No contravention of DPP3
45. Fourthly, even if the Ordinance applied to the disclosure complained
of, the Commissioner concluded that there was no contravention of DPP3.
46. In this connection, the Commissioner took the view that it was
‘beyond doubt’ that no prescribed consent had been obtained from the
appellant prior to the disclosure of the relevant information to the PRC
authorities.
47. The Commissioner then turned to consider whether the disclosure
fell within the original purpose of collection or its directly related purpose.
48. The Commissioner accepted as a matter of fact that users of Yahoo!
China’s webmail service were required to accept the Terms of Service
(TOS) and Privacy Policy Statement (PPS) prior to the use of their email
accounts. The Commissioner found that the TOS and PPS expressly stated
that YHHK5 might share information in response to subpoenas, court
orders and legal process, and that Yahoo! China would act in accordance
with local laws in retention and disclosure of information.
49. Thus the Commissioner concluded that compliance with statutory
requirement on disclosure of personal data was regarded as ‘use’ for a
purpose consistent with the purpose of collection, and was allowed under
DPP3. As such, there was no contravention of DPP3.
D5. Exemption in s 58 of the Ordinance not applicable
50. Finally, the Commissioner proceeded to consider whether s 58 of the
Ordinance could be invoked so as to exempt or justify the disclosure in
question from DPP3 for ‘the prevention or detection of crime’ or ‘the
apprehension, prosecution or detention of offenders’.
51. After seeking independent legal advice, the Commissioner
concluded that the words ‘crime’ or ‘offenders’ under ss 58(l)(a) and (b) of
the Ordinance only applied to crime or offences under the laws of Hong
Kong. Since the crime committed by the appellant in the PRC did not
amount to a crime under the laws of Hong Kong, the Commissioner
concluded that ss 58(1)(a) and (b) could not be invoked in the
circumstances of this case.
E. GROUNDS OF APPEAL
I
52. The appellant in his Amended Notice of Appeal put forward four
grounds of appeal:
(1) The Commissioner erred in law in finding that the IP address of the
subject internet account holder, disclosed together with the user
5.
The TOS actually stated ‘Yahoo’ or ‘Yahoo! China’ rather than YHHK.