Consistent efforts to better protect personal data at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have been acknowledged again with a major local award.

CityU has been awarded the Privacy-Friendly Gold Certificate for the 2nd consecutive time in the Privacy-Friendly Awards 2023 by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD).

Mr Sunny Lee Wai-kwong, Vice-President (Administration) and Data Protection Officer at CityU, expressed his gratitude to the PCPD for recognising CityU’s effort in protecting personal data. Ms Sheena Shum Wai-man, Associate Director of Office of the Vice-President (Administration), received the award on behalf of the University at the presentation ceremony on 31 August.

“CityU has implemented an effective personal data protection programme in light of the ever-evolving technological advancements and growing cybersecurity challenges. This programme encompasses education and training, well-defined policies and procedures, risk mitigation and management, and advanced technology infrastructure. We are committed to consistently investing resources and conducting regular programme reviews,” Mr Lee said.

He added: “We emphasise educating our students and colleagues regarding daily and remote data privacy practices to cultivate a culture that values privacy. And we aim to bolster the University community's confidence, proactively address data privacy risks, and demonstrate CityU's determination to pursue sound data governance."

The Privacy-Friendly Awards, held since 2021, recognise the commitment and efforts of enterprises, public and private organisations, as well as government departments, in protecting personal data privacy.

CityU has received this recognition as a result of the University’s accomplishments in data privacy protection, such as having a data protection officer; discussing matters relating to personal data privacy at the highest decision-making level; having in place internal policies for handling personal data; having a data security breach notification mechanism; and training or education for staff on personal data privacy protection.