Press freedom does not excuse lawbreaking

I refer to the letter, “Police should tackle concerns fair and square” (April 29). I do not agree with the writer, who, in defending a journalist who broke the law to obtain private and personal data, suggests that reporters may ignore the law in their exercise of “press freedom”.

It is irrelevant that other journalists have perhaps escaped prosecution for abusing the provisions of the Road Traffic Ordinance pertaining to obtaining access to personal data for trafficrelated matters. This improper access to private information is an abuse of legal process and has been exploited for other purposes and for financial gain, by creating and selling sensationalist stories. It is an act of wilful dishonesty.

Members of the Hong Kong press and “human rights” activists were the first to raise concerns about “invasions of privacy” when the government set up the “Leave Home Safe” app for recording visits to public venues for the purpose of Covid-19 exposure tracking if later required.

Ridiculous claims and accusations were aired in the press about the government misusing personal data collected via this app and security agencies using this information to track residents’ movements or merely intruding on their “enshrined” rights to privacy. So which way do the press really want it?

There is no justification for the writer’s demand for the commissioner of police to tone down the rhetoric or her characterisation of the Legislative Council as now “subservient”. Even if it was, it is surely no more so than during the former colonial administration.