The protection of privacy in relation to personal data is the concern of every member of staff in the Hong Kong Observatory. We respect personal data and are committed to fully implementing and complying with the data protection principles and all relevant provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
 

Kinds of Personal Data Held

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) holds the following types of personal data -

• Employment-related Personal Data on serving officers and former employees - these personal data include records of personal and family particulars, education and qualifications, employment history, salary and allowances, terms and conditions of service, housing, medical records, leave and passages, training, investments, outside employment, appraisal reports, promotion board assessments, conduct and discipline and retirement and pension. Recruitment and appointment data is also held on applicants for appointment and students seeking temporary summer employment;
• Consultants and Contractors - personal data held includes personal particulars of personnel employed by consultants and contractors;
• Members of "Friends of the Observatory" - personal data held includes personal particulars of the members; and
• Other records - including members of the public who make requests under the Code on Access to Information and the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance or make enquiries or complaints to the department.

• Personal data of current or former employees are held for a range of employment-related purposes including appointments, integrity checking, postings and transfers, offer/renewal/extension of agreement, incremental credit, training and career development, applications for various job-related permits and licenses, revision of terms or conditions of service, promotion, discipline, continuation in or removal from office, pensions and provision of testimonials. Some personal particulars may be published in Government publications.
• Personal data of consultants and contractors are held to facilitate the award of contracts and for the monitoring of contractors'/consultants' technical competence to fulfill the requirements of contracts awarded.
• Personal data of members of the "Friends of the Observatory" are held for mailing of Friends Newsletter and other general publications of the HKO and for communication in connection with the organizations of activities.
• Other records are kept for various purposes which vary according to the nature of the record, such as dealing with enquiries or complaints from members of the public.

• The HKO will record visits to the HKO websites without collecting any personal identifiable information of users. Such general statistics are collected for the compilation of statistical reports and the diagnosis of problems with or concerning computer systems to help HKO improve the websites.
• For different purposes and at different times you may be invited to provide personal data to the HKO through HKO websites on a voluntary basis. Personal information may include name, telephone number, mailing address and/or e-mail address. The HKO will specify the collection purpose and intended usage of your data when it invites you to provide such information and advise you how you may request access to or correction of the personal data provided.
• Your personal data submitted online will be sent directly to the HKO. Completed e-Forms can also be encrypted prior to submission. These personal data are secured and access to them is restricted to authorised personnel only.
• Search service on HKO websites is provided by Yahoo! Hong Kong Limited (Yahoo!). The service does not collect personal identifiable information while serving search results through HKO websites. Yahoo! will share the anonymous data it collected through the search service with the HKO for compiling traffic analysis on HKO websites. The HKO will not match the data obtained from any such search activity with any personal data possibly held by the HKO.

The Assistant Director of Development, Research and Administration is responsible for monitoring and supervising compliance with the Ordinance within the HKO.

The Departmental Secretary has been designated as the Personal Data (Privacy) Officer, responsible for handling requests made under the Ordinance for access to or correction of personal data.

The following are maintained to ensure compliance with the Ordinance:-

• A Central Register of requests made under the Ordinance
• A Data Protection Log Book, as provided for in section 27 of the Ordinance
• Access request forms for access to/correction of personal data held by HKO.

A charge will be made of photocopying personal data at the rate of $1.50 per photocopy or as otherwise provided for or approved by the Secretary for the Treasury.