Carrie Lam says the only purpose of doxxing is to suppress the voices of those with different opinions. AP Previous Next

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says her personal information has been revealed on messaging groups, adding doxxing's only goal is to suppress other people's voices.

Lam said yesterday on her Facebook page that she is worried about how doxxing would affect not just herself but society.

"In the past few months, some people have doxxed government officials, police officers - all those who hold different opinions - and even their families and children," Lam wrote.

"The only purpose of doxxing is to suppress others' voices."

She said it is not just the individuals being doxxed who is harmed but the whole society.

She quoted a Court of Appeal case relating to personal information of police officers, saying that "doxxing should not and could not be tolerated if we're still proud of Hong Kong being a civilized society that enjoys the rule of law."

Lam continued: "Unfortunately, there are still some people in Hong Kong that would use this despicable method as a weapon of harming others and targeted groups during the current social unrest. "When many are afraid of being doxxed and cannot openly express their views there will be a chilling effect in society if such doxxing acts were not stopped, the distrust, fear and hate that it ignites would vanish public's trust of the law and social order, and would make our society collapse."

Lam urged everyone to stay alert and not to let emotions affect their judgments on what is right or wrong.

The Court of Appeal issued a temporary ban in October until the determination of the judicial review proceedings, following the application by the Junior Police Officers' Association to forbid public access to the election register, as they considered it to be a potential source for doxxing against police officers and their family members.

But the court permitted the Electoral Affairs Commission to supply an extract of the finalized register to nominated candidates competing in the district council election on November 24.

In the court hearing last week, a representative of the Electoral Affairs Commission said there was no evidence to suggest a causal relationship between information obtained in the election register and doxxing, and it is not fair to use information on the register "as a scapegoat" for the misdeeds.

angel.kwan@singtaonewscorp.com