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Privacy Policy

Personal Information Collection Statement and Privacy Policy Statement of the Consumer Council

The Consumer Council (the “Council”) respects personal data privacy and is committed to complying with the data protection principles and the requirements of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486) (“PDPO”). In doing so, we strive to ensure compliance by our staff with strict standards of security and confidentiality.

In performing our statutory functions under the Consumer Council Ordinance (Cap 216), we may collect and hold personal data relating to you. The Council has created this statement in order to demonstrate our commitment to protecting your privacy. The Council is not responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other linked sites or third parties.

If you are under the age of 18, please consult your parent or guardian to ensure that you understand the content of this statement before providing any personal data to the Council.

Information Collection and Use

The Council may collect personal information relating to you when you make enquiries or complaints, submit applications to the Council or the Consumer Legal Action Fund administered by it as the trustee, subscribe to our services or publications, attend or participate in our events, engagements or surveys (whether online or offline) or communicate with us. If the necessary personal data is not provided, we may be unable to process your enquiries, complaints, applications, subscriptions or to provide or continue to provide services to you.

We may use your personal data for any of the following purposes from time to time:

  • Handling and following-up on your enquiries and complaints;
  • Handling and following-up on your applications and subscriptions;
  • Providing our services, publications (whether online or printed versions), souvenirs or awards to you;
  • Inviting and enrolling you in our events, engagements, surveys and studies (whether online or offline);
  • Sending you information and materials that may be of interest to you, such as in relation to consumer education or our other services (subject to your consent if required);
  • Conducting research and data analyses for the protection, advocacy and promotion of consumer interests;
  • Carrying out other statutory and administrative functions, including tendering advice to the Government or public bodies;
  • Improving and monitoring our services to meet the needs of our service users;
  • Complying with laws, regulations, or guidelines issued by regulatory or other authorities;
  • Other purposes agreed by you; and
  • Purposes relating to any of the above.

The Council may collect your personal data directly from you or indirectly from third parties.  In so doing, we shall collect data which is adequate but not excessive in relation to the purpose(s) for which such data is collected and by lawful and fair means.  When we collect personal data from you as a data subject, we will also provide you with a Personal Information Collection Statement (“PICS”) on or before such collection in an appropriate format and manner (e.g. in paper form or on the web page that collects the personal data, in a notice posted up at the reception area of the Council and the Consumer Advice Centres for reference, or orally if such collection takes place on a call or in a meeting with you). The kind of personal data collected from you, the purposes for which your personal data are collected and the classes of persons to whom your personal data may be transferred are set out in the relevant PICS.

Kinds of Personal Data Held

The Council holds four broad categories of records which contain personal data:

  • Records of public enquiries and complaints, which include records containing information supplied by data subjects and data users, collected or processed by the Council in connection with enquiries, complaints, conciliation, applications to the Consumer Legal Action Fund and any subsequent legal proceedings, and other related activities carried out pursuant to the Council’s statutory obligations;
  • Public affairs records, which include data provided by data subjects and data users, collected or processed by the Council in connection with subscriptions, awards/competitions, promotional and educational activities, research, surveys and studies;
  • Personnel records, which include job applications and personal particulars, job particulars, details of salary, payments, benefits, performance appraisals and disciplinary matters, etc. of persons employed with the Council; and
  • Other records, which include administration and operational files, quotations/tenders and contracts for goods and services.

Main Purposes of Use of Personal Data

Personal data contained in these records are kept for the following main purposes:

  • Records of public enquiries andcomplaints: are used for performing the Council’s statutory and administrative functions and activities, including (1) responding to and taking follow-up actions on enquiries and complaints, (2) carrying out conciliation between the parties concerned, (3) administering the Consumer Legal Action Fund, (4) conducting product/service testing, market studies, research, statistical and data analyses, (5) liaising with relevant parties in protecting, advocating and promoting consumer interests, and (6) tendering advice to the Government or public bodies;
  • Public affairs records: are used forengagingdata subjects and external stakeholders in the Council’s activities, including (1)invitations to and enrolment in our events, engagements, surveys and studies, (2) sending information and materials of interest to data subjects, (3) processing and delivering subscriptions and awards/competitions, (4) carrying out promotional, educational and other activities, and (5) conducting research, surveys and studies;
  • Personnel records: are used for recruitment and human resource management purposes; and
  • Other records: are used for various purposes depending on the nature of the data, such as (1) administration of functions and activities and (2) procurement of goods and services.

Use of Cookies on our Website

When you visit the Council’s website, we record your visit as a “hit” and do not collect any personally identifiable information from you.  We use such information (such as number of visitors and circumstances of general usage) for statistical purposes and for purposes of maintaining and improving our website.  Certain information would also be collected through the use of “cookies” stored in the web browser of your computer, phone, tablet or device.  A cookie is a small piece of text sent to your browser by a website you visit and collects non-personally identifiable and statistical information about your visit, such as an anonymous unique identifier to identify the user’s device, preferences, user interests and browsing habits associated with the device.  Such information does not include personal data and we will not use cookies to collect your personal data.  Some of these cookies are managed by third parties such as Google Analytics, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.  These cookies allow us to:

  1. provide the features, functions or services on our website;
  2. create and/or display future content more relevant to readers’ interests by understanding browsing habits associated with different devices;
  3. customize our services and ensure that you could find relevant information easily by analyzing the number of visitors and how they use our website, services or applications, tracking traffic sources, and monitoring website performance; and
  4. improve our services through better understanding which webpages are more popular so as to enhance the experience of our online users.  

Other third-party cookies such as Google DoubleClick, Google Ads, Facebook Pixel and Facebook Social Plugin collect non-personally identifiable information about the browsing habits associated with your device and are used for (a) social media sharing, and/or (b) targeting advertising more relevant to you and your interests.  The information stored by these cookies may also be collected and used by the third parties together with other information to build a profile of your interests and target advertising relevant to you.  You should refer to the third parties’ own cookie and privacy policies for information about how they may use your information.

Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You can disable the cookies on your web browser but if you disable cookies, you may not be able to use some of the main features on the Council’s website such as selecting the preferred language, logging in and out of the subscription account and subscribing to the CHOICE magazine or articles and saving the search history of the website.

Retention

The Council maintains and implements retention policies of records containing personal data to ensure that personal data is not kept longer than is necessary for the fulfilment of the purpose(s) for which the data is or is to be used. Different retention periods apply to the various kinds of personal data collected and held by the Council in accordance with policies in internal operational manuals and procedures.

Use of Personal Data for Promotion

We may send you online or offline marketing communications, including but not limited to promotional messages relating to our CHOICE magazine or the Council’s newsletters.

If you would like to opt out of receiving any such communications, please email your request to unsubscribe_enews@consumer.org.hk. If such communication is sent to you electronically, you can also click the “Cancel Registration” link on the electronic communication to notify the Council to stop sending you these messages.

We will only send you direct marketing communications with your consent.

Data Security and Disclosure

The Council takes all practicable steps to protect the personal data we hold against loss, unauthorized access, use, modification or disclosure.

We keep all personal data confidential but may, depending on the purposes for which such personal data is collected, disclose or transfer the personal data to the following categories of persons or any one of them (whether within or outside Hong Kong) for one or more of such purposes, or with your consent:

  • Relevant parties relevant to processing your enquiry(ies), complaint(s), application(s) or request(s) for services provided by the Council, including the party being complained against, Government Departments, law enforcement, regulatory or other authorities and agencies, as well as other agencies which are authorized to receive information relating to law enforcement, prosecution and review of decisions;
  • Legal advisers and other professional advisers engaged by the Council and/or the Consumer Legal Action Fund (if any), the prospective defendant and its legal representative (if any), the courts and other parties concerned;
  • Third parties which provides technical support to or has business cooperation with the Council, such as network system contractors, data security and maintenance service providers, research / data agencies, analytic companies, data processors and auditors;
  • Banks and online payment gateways in relation to subscription services;
  • Persons to whom we are under an obligation or requirement to disclose personal data by laws, regulations or guidelines, directions or orders issued by law enforcement, regulatory or other authorities and agencies or by any court or judicial body; and
  • Persons to whom we are required to disclose personal data pursuant to policies and measures implemented by us for prevention or detection of crime, unlawful or suspicious activities.

Access and Correction of Personal Data

In general, an individual has the right to request access to and correction of his/her personal data held by us in accordance with the provisions of the PDPO. Any such requests should be made in writing by completing the specified Data Access Request Form (OPS003) prescribed under the PDPO and sending it to the Compliance and Administration Officer, Consumer Council, 22nd Floor, K. Wah Centre, 191 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong.

Please note that when handling a data access or correction request, we will check the identity of the requestor to ensure that s/he is the person legally entitled to make the data access or correction request. We have the right to charge a fee for the processing of any data access request.

You may also raise any inquiry concerning this Privacy Policy Statement in writing with the Compliance and Administration Officer, Consumer Council, 22nd Floor., K. Wah Centre, 191 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong.

This Statement is published in English and Chinese.  In the event of discrepancy or conflict between the English and the Chinese versions, the English version shall prevail.

Updated on 3 April 2024.