A survey has found more than half of secondary students in Hong Kong had their personal information as well as photos on messaging apps and social media without their consent.
Earlier this year, the Polytechnic University conducted a survey comprising 2,120 pupils from Form Two to Form Five. The university shed light on the act known as "doxxing," which is basically collecting personal details of an individual and circulating them, usually fuelled by malice. The term was first evolved from the hackers in the 1990s, using the shorthand word "doc" for documents.
According to the South China Morning Post, more than 20 percent of the victims felt mild to severe anxiety and depression, while almost 16 percent felt stressed.
Pupils who had been "doxxed" are somehow helpless and don't know where to seek advice, said Professor Edward Chan, who led the study. Some students might think it is not a big deal to call the police, and social workers could not resolve the problem as well.
The survey also found 48 percent of the victims retaliated tit-for-tat by posting the perpetrator's personal information online. However, there has been a discrepancy caused by the multiple choice question as 66 percent claimed they "did nothing".
The most common information shared online includes schools, mobile number, birthdays, names, photos, and videos. These details are likely shared on instant messaging apps or social media.
In half of all the instances, the perpetrator was a classmate, but 25 percent was a family member or a parent. As for the remaining quarter, the victims claimed they had no idea who circulated their information.
The survey also asked the students if they had tried doxxing others, and 12 percent said they had.
Chan advised parents not to share any personal information about their families online, and children should also be aware of how to protect their personal data.
"There are two kinds of personal data. One is like your ID card and bank information. The pupils' awareness [of the need to protect this data] is very strong," Chan said.
Among the respondents, girls likely spread information for those they liked, while boys did it for those they disliked.
"I think curiosity is the main reason people dox. They want to know more about the background of the people they are interested in. It also happens when they really like or dislike someone," said Crystal Lam, a Form Six student.
Chan presented the findings at a symposium organized by the University of Hong Kong. He said that they should be a tougher legislation to tackle cyberbullying. The complaints regarding cyberbullying increased by more than 90 percent, from 26 cases in 2016 to 50 last year, as per the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.
Still, these cases were not that strong to push forward the legislation process, said Privacy Commissioner Stephen Wong.
"Legislation depends on the priority, seriousness and urgency. The process should not overtake other economic and technological developments," he said.
