This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
Published on July 7, 2020, a day after the new national security law took effect in Hong Kong, tech giants have begun to take a stand against the law's provisions.
Google, Twitter, and Telegram have all announced that they will pause or suspend data requests from Hong Kong authorities until a consensus is reached on the new law.
According to a Google spokesman, the company had paused processing data requests from the Hong Kong authorities on Wednesday, and Twitter said it had also stopped processing the requests.
Telegram, a messaging app popular with Hong Kong's protesters, said it would suspend the provision of user data until a consensus was reached on the new law.
Some people in Hong Kong reported being unable to download the TikTok app on Tuesday, and the new rules announced by Hong Kong on Monday made clearer how the law would apply to online discussion.
The government said that if an internet company failed to comply with a court order to turn over data in cases related to national security, it could be fined almost $13,000 and an employee could face six months in prison.
How widely the rules will be enforced remains unclear, but the move by tech giants is seen as a significant step in pushing back against the new law.
