HONG KONG – Compliance requirements for the cross-boundary flow of mainland personal information between nine Chinese mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong will be streamlined this month.

The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of Hong Kong and the Cyberspace Administration of China announced on Wednesday that it will facilitate the Standard Contract for the Cross-boundary Flow of Personal Information Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Mainland, Hong Kong).

The move comes as the first facilitation measure formulated to foster the cross-boundary flow of personal information within the GBA in a safe and orderly manner under a cooperation framework signed between the bureau and the CAC in June.

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The "Memorandum of Understanding on Facilitating Cross-boundary Data Flow Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" allows individuals and organizations in the GBA mainland cities and Hong Kong to enter into a standard contract adopting a standardized template on a voluntary basis, providing for the responsibilities and obligations of both contracting parties in protecting personal information, the government said in a statement.

The processing and export of personal data from Hong Kong will be conducted on a voluntary basis and continue to be regulated in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of Hong Kong.

Spokesman, Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, HKSAR

The nine cities are Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, all in the Guangdong province.

It will also lift the restriction on the volume of cross-boundary flow of personal data that a personal information processor can transfer under the mainland's framework on safe management of cross-boundary data flow, and simplify the relevant assessment contents in applicable personal information protection impact assessment.

“With the implementation of the GBA Standard Contract, the compliance costs of cross-boundary personal data flow for enterprises will be greatly reduced, thereby facilitating the provision of relevant cross-boundary services in the GBA and bringing convenience to the public and businesses,” said a spokesman for the ITIB.

The GBA Standard Contract also promotes the development of the Bay Area’s digital economy and helps Hong Kong better integrate into the national development, the spokesman added.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Cyberspace Administration of Guangdong province will jointly take forward the orderly implementation of the GBA Standard Contract.

The OGCIO will launch the "early and pilot implementation" arrangement of the GBA Standard Contract this month, with the first phase inviting openly for participation from the banking, credit referencing and healthcare sectors which have a strong demand for cross-boundary services. 

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The Hong Kong government will review the "early and pilot implementation" arrangement in due course, with a view to further extending the facilitation measure to other sectors, according to the statement.

"The processing and export of personal data from Hong Kong will be conducted on a voluntary basis and continue to be regulated in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance of Hong Kong," added the spokesman.