The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) is conducting a “compliance check” of an advertisement in a busy MTR walkway that incorporates the likeness of passersby into a promotional campaign for a loan company.
Since last week, loan company XWallet has been running an advertisement between Central and Hong Kong MTR stations featuring blurred video images of commuters as they pass through the walkway.
The effect is achieved through a live camera trained on commuters.
In a response to HKFP on Tuesday, a PCPD spokesperson said organisations must comply with privacy and data laws if they collect, hold, process or use personal data.
However, it may only be considered “personal data” if an organisation seeks to identify specific people or compile information about them, the PCPD added.
“The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has commenced a compliance check about the matter in accordance with established procedures and in particular, to ascertain if personal data has been collected and, if so, if the personal data in question is properly safeguarded,” it said.
Advertising agency JCDecaux Transport, which manages the advertisement billboard, told HKFP on Wednesday that the ad “does not show clear images of passengers, and such image[s] will not be retained.”
The agency, as well as the MTR Corporation on Tuesday, said no data is collected in the campaign.
The effect is reminiscent of the 2002 sci-fi classic Minority Report, in which a commuter’s personal data is incorporated into ads as he passes by.
