Meta Platforms—Facebook paused processing Hong Kong government data requests after National Security Law implementation
On July 6, 2020, Facebook (now Meta) announced it would pause review of Hong Kong government data requests, including WhatsApp and Instagram, following the National Security Law's implementation. A spokesperson said Facebook would 'pause the review of government requests for user data from Hong Kong pending further assessment of the National Security Law.' The pause protected user data from potential political surveillance during a period when the NSL was being used to arrest pro-democracy activists and journalists.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian Compliance | -against | primary | +1.00 |
| Democratic Institutions | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| User Privacy | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.553 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (1 signal)
Facebook announced pause on Hong Kong government data requests on July 6, 2020
On July 6, 2020, Facebook (now Meta) announced it would pause review of Hong Kong government data requests for Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram following the National Security Law's implementation. A Facebook spokesperson stated: 'We pause the review of government requests for user data from Hong Kong pending further assessment of the National Security Law.' Facebook was among the first tech companies to announce the pause, with Google, Twitter, Microsoft, and Zoom following suit. The NSL criminalized dissent with trials behind closed doors and maximum life sentences.