Recently, there has been cheering in Hong Kong as the arrival of multiple vaccines seemingly heralds the beginning of the end of the pandemic. But the vaccine is a fig leaf that barely covers the cracks, as many scientists argue that this is unlikely to be the last pandemic in our lifetime.

Before the pandemic leaves us for good, the question of how to conduct effective contact tracing continues to steal the limelight. In Hong Kong, the digital platform ‘Leave Home Safe’ is a government-endorsed solution that manages pre-symptomatic infections by alerting users of nearby exposures.

Putting aside any privacy…

In an age where a social media platform can pull off a billion-dollar valuation, it is tempting to believe that social media is fail-proof. But as online networks grow to sizes never seen before, every miscalculation in public relations risks irreparable backlash. Messaging platform WhatsApp has been in hot water for its data-sharing policy with its parent company, Facebook. The opprobrium against WhatsApp, while understandable, is misguided.

Buckling under pressure, WhatsApp’s decision to delay its data sharing policy is a hollow victory for critics. …

On 24th December 2020, many multinational companies based in Britain breathed a sigh of collective relief. After years of diplomatic wrangling, the United Kingdom and the European Union struck a deal on Christmas Eve to extend a grace period to permit the free flow of data between the two regions.

Such unrestricted data transfers might last beyond Brexit if the United Kingdom meets the “adequacy” standard imposed by the European Commission on data protection. For all intents and purposes, the on-going saga highlights the pressing urgency to include the treatment of data transfer in all national and regional trade treaties.

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Guo Bing, a law professor in China, recently scored a partial court victory against Hangzhou Safari Park for the latter’s disproportionate use of facial recognition technology without his consent.

But the court upheld the park’s right to use biometric technology in business operations — a verdict against which Guo Bing vows to fight till the end. If he wins, it might become China’s first court case that rules in favor of a citizen against a data collector. The outcome may inspire a string of fresh legal challenges to government and business intrusions alike.

Few would argue that data is the…

In her 2020 policy address, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the start of a new youth employment scheme that encourages companies to recruit local graduates to work in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), a leading hotbed of innovation and technology.

Some critics have argued that the initiative fails to tackle the gaping social divides that occupied our public headlines in the last 18 months. Such criticism has missed the mark. Lam’s initiative extended an olive branch to a beleaguered community that could segue into a more open and honest dialogue down the line — no matter the odds…

Each year millions of tourists crane their necks upward to stare at Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or stand on tiptoe to seek out the all-seeing gaze of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre. From now till February 2021, Hong Kong art lovers can see a selection of Renaissance masterpieces from The Uffizi Galleries at the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Among the most seminal work is Adoration of the Magi by Sandro Botticelli, one of the most prolific of the Renaissance artists.

For centuries, the world has hailed the Renaissance…

China’s recent 5-year development plan to designate Shenzhen as the engine behind all tech innovation in the Greater Bay Area came as no surprise.

Indeed, China’s digital transformation was well underway long before the pandemic, attributed to its expansive adoption of mobile technologies and artificial intelligence applications. The corollary is the creation of a wealth of new data about the world. This data collection innovation provides a comprehensive treasure trove of its citizens’ daily habits, including shopping and travelling predilections. …

From now on, as soon as the faintest memory of 2020 comes into consciousness, so will a sense of sinking disbelief. When a social movement, a contagious disease, and a modern-day diplomatic standoff assaulted the arc of the Hong Kong shore, a rough splash knocked sideways all common perception of normalcy. Regardless of who you are, you are bound to feel the sensation of the ground shaking underneath your feet. For most, the economic aftermath will merely fast-forward a transformation already underway to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Nowhere is the disruption more visible than in traditional industries such…