Scott Edmunds Lightning talk at "Unlocking the Value of Open Data"conference: "Experiences of NGO" (with thanks to Justice Centre Hong Kong). 9th June 2018 at HKU.

1. Experiences of a NGO
• Government responses to access to information requests
take a long time
• Government does not release information they hold for
unclear reasons
• Data that the Government ‘regularly maintains’ is limited
• Government made odd comments when responding to
data requests
• Organisations carrying out a public role, such as the Duty
Lawyer Service, are not covered by the Code on Access
to Information

2. https://www.facebook.com/leetszking/videos/1663087000383462/
Want evidence based policy on internment camps?
Do we need to lock up S Asians in SSP?

3. No actual data on refugee crime

4. Sometimes you need to find your own data

5. Sometimes you need to find your own data
https://accessinfo.hk/

6. Inconsistent reasons for not returning data…
Reject again based on: “Information relating to incomplete
analysis, research or statistics, where disclosure could be
misleading or deprive the department or any other person of
priority of publication or commercial value.”
“in view of the confidentiality of the content, your requested
data could not be provided.”
Errr, there isn’t any identifiable data. It’s all anonymised.
https://accessinfo.hk/en/request/suspicious_transaction_report_hu

7. Even LEGCO members get turned down (by fax)

8. Data access can cost lots of money…
Source from following FOI requests:
Companies: https://accessinfo.hk/en/request/request_for_information_on_elect
Lands: https://accessinfo.hk/en/request/information_on_costs_charges_and
HA: https://accessinfo.hk/en/request/request_for_statistics_on_data_c
Companies Registry = $73,000 HKD
Lands Dept = $4.15 million HKD
Hospital Authority = $250,000 HKD
Yearly Revenue Data Access Fees:

9. The Quasi-government complex
Lessaccountability
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1025385431809

10. The Quasi-government complex
TCM Safety information =

11. Gathering our own open data…
http://publicdatahk.com/dataset/hong-kong-2011-census-data

12. Do we need to lock up all S Asians in SSP?
No. Crime rate is low, stable, and 2% arrests are of S
Asians (50-60 people)
https://accessinfo.hk/en/request/arrestconvictionprosecution_data_2

13. Advocacy efforts
Submissions of the Hong Kong UPR Coalition:
• HKSAR should adopt a Freedom of Information Ordinance that
establishes maximum disclosure and minimal exemption
requirements, within one year.
• HKSAR should adopt an Archives Ordinance, incorporating
mandatory public sector compliance and penalties for non-
compliance, destruction of records and denial of access, within
one year.
Signatories include:
Keyboard Frontline
Open Data Hong Kong
PEN Hong Kong
The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong
How to fix this? Fill policy vacuum