August 2010


HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

The Privacy Policy Statement

The Hong Kong Baptist University, as a Data User, respects the privacy of personal data. The University is fully supportive of and committed to upholding the spirit of the six Data Protection Principles and to complying with the requirements of the Ordinance in its management practices. For compliance with the requirements of the Ordinance, the University has prepared the "Code of Practice for compliance with the Data Protection Principles specified in The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance" to ensure compliance by staff members in the strictest standards of security and confidentiality. The main points of the University's privacy policy and practices are summarized as follows:

Purpose and manner of collection of personal data

1. Personal data will only be collected for a lawful purpose, and by lawful and fair means. Data collected in relation to a specified purpose must be adequate but not excessive in respect of the purpose. The Data Subject must be informed explicitly on collection:

(a) purpose(s) for which the data are to be collected and the groups of persons to whom the data may be transferred;
(b) whether it is obligatory or voluntary for such data to be supplied, and the consequences of not supplying the obligatory data;
(c) the right of the Data Subject to request access to, and correction of data held by the Data Users; and
(d) the person in charge to handle such data access and correction requests.

Accuracy and duration of retention of personal data

2. All reasonably practicable steps will be taken to ensure that the personal data kept is accurate.

3. Personal data will not be kept longer than is necessary for the fulfilment of the purpose for which it is collected.

Use of personal data

4. Without the prescribed consent of a Data Subject, the personal data will not be used for any purpose other than the purpose for which the data was originally collected. The prescribed consent may be withdrawn by a Data Subject.

Security of personal data

5. All reasonably practicable steps will be taken to ensure that personal data held are protected against unauthorized or accidental access, processing, erasure or other use.

6. Regarding the transmission of personal data over the Internet, the University has imposed the following security measures:

(a) Encryption - The University is continuously enhancing the implementation of encryption mechanism in protecting the University data. Encryption technology, such as SSL, will be employed whenever possible, for the transmission of data collected online. The University servers are, to the maximum possible extent, protected against security attacks over the Internet by means of system securities set up and the "Firewalls". A well-organized and safe system of backups is in place.

As such, users' data supplied to the University will reside in the University servers which are protected to the maximum possible extent against unauthorized or accidental access, processing, erasure or other illegitimate manipulation.

(b) Use of Cookies - In order to protect the users' privacy, the University will normally not implement applications with cookies requirement. In rare cases, when "session cookies" are used, a statement will be provided on its web page to alert users before initiating or signing in the application. The "session cookies" helps the University to recognize users' identity when they visit multiple pages in its web application within the same login session, so that the University does not need to ask users for their password on each page. Once users sign out or close their browser, the cookie expires and no longer has any effect. Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. Users may choose to set their browser to decline the cookies or inform them when the cookies are set. However, in this way, they may not be able to visit some portions of the University's website.

Any information collected by "cookies" is anonymous and does not contain any personal data. Although through cookies, the University's web servers can monitor which sites the users have visited, which pages they have seen and which options they have chosen, the University will NOT make any analysis on these cookies data NOR provide such data to outside organizations.

7. At the same time, the University does not allow users, both internal and external, to make rude and annoying spamming which includes sending unsolicited email, making mailbombs, disseminating commercial advertisements/promotions and distributing mail chain letter. Appropriate action including legal prosecution may be taken to the offenders.

Information to be generally available

8. The following information in relation to personal data of the University will be generally available:

(a) the kinds of personal data held;
(b) the main purpose for which personal data are used; and
(c) the policies and practices in relation to personal data.

Access to personal data

9. A Data Subject will have the right to request access to personal data of himself/herself held by a Data User, in person or in writing to the department/office concerned, within a reasonable time, for a fee that is not excessive, in a manner that is reasonable, and in a form that is intelligible. The Data Subject will be notified of the outcome within 40 days of submitting his/her access request, and to be given a reason if a data correction request is refused.

10. A Data Subject will also have the right to request correction of the personal data, in person or in writing to the department/office concerned.
Management of Personal Data

11. For each group of data collected from a Data Subject or a group of Data Subjects, the University designates the department/office which collects, holds and uses the data as the Primary (Data) Holder (PH). It is held responsible for updating, protecting, providing access to and meeting requests for access/correction from the Data Subjects. The other departments/offices which make use of the same data transferred from the Primary Holder are the Secondary Data Users (SDUs) which are expected to observe the six Data Protection Principles, particularly with regard to duration of data retention and use and security of data.

12. Data Users should adhere to the Data Protection Principles and draw up internal guidelines and practices for adoption by members of their respective departments/ offices where appropriate.

13. A Data Protection Officer is to be appointed from each Faculty/School/Office of the University to help protect the privacy of the data held in the Faculty/School/Office, in compliance with the six Data Protection Principles, review and improve the relevant internal process and enhance the awareness of protecting personal data privacy among his or her colleagues in the Faculty/School/Office.

The kinds of personal data held by the University and the respective purpose(s) of collection are enclosed for information.

The kinds of personal data held by the University and the respective purpose(s) of collection

The personal data kept in different Faculties/Schools/Offices varies depending on their purpose of collection. In general terms, personal data could be classified as factual, evaluative, or statistical data. Factual data are mostly provided by the Data Subject themselves, evaluative data are normally provided by another person on the Data Subject, whereas statistical data are derived primarily from factual and evaluative data. For the latter purpose, personal data are depersonalized before statistical analyses are performed. Examples of personal data kept by the University include the following:

(a) identification data, e.g., name, Identity Card/Passport No., photo, etc.
(b) personal details, e.g., age, sex, date of birth, contact telephone, address, etc.
(c) family data, e.g., marital status, details of other family members, etc.
(d) contractual data, e.g., appointment period, terms of appointment, promotion, etc.
(e) education background and employment details
(f) record of assessment and review, e.g., self-statements, review panel resolutions, etc.

1. Personal data of Job Applicants kept in the Personnel Office include applicants' personal particulars, copies of personal documents, qualifications and record of experiences, evaluative data including interview assessment, resolution and recommendation of assessment panels, references and external assessments, test reports as appropriate are kept for recruitment administration purposes. These personal data will be transferred to the relevant Faculty, School, Department, or Office for recruitment consideration and reference and will be kept until the completion of the recruitment exercises.

2. Personal data of Staff of the University are kept for appointment administration, manpower and career planning, personnel and employee administration including payroll, leave and benefits administration, analysis for management purposes, assessment and review in terms of posting, promotion and discipline, training, and staff development administration. On the other hand, taxation-related data and superannuation-related data of staff are kept for taxation and superannuation administration.

3. Personal data of Former Staff of the University are kept in the Personnel Office. The physical personal file including the staff's personal particulars, family data, contractual data, evaluative data and other benefits-related data will be destroyed after a retention period.

4. Personal particulars, examination results and evaluative data of Student Applicants are collected as a basis for selection of applicants for admission. These data will be destroyed upon the completion of the admission process. These data in electronic format with personal identification data masked will be kept in the system for statistical purpose. All hard copies of unsuccessful applications will be destroyed upon completion of the admission process.

5. Personal data of Students of the University, including personal particulars, family data, education background, academic and assessment records, as well as senate resolutions are kept for registration of students, accounting for fees, planning and control of curricula and examinations, commissioning and validating educational materials, calculation and publication of examination results, communication with students, provision of transcripts and references, analysis for management purposes, and assessment for scholarships and financial aid. Other forms of students' personal data like counselling-related information, disciplinary record, co-curricular activities record, and placement-related data are kept for counselling/case management, communication with students, general and professional reference, and for statistical purpose. Upon graduation of students and with their consent, their basic identification data and personal details, will be kept as Alumni data.

6. Personal data of Alumni are collected, kept and used for purposes of communications, invitation to the University events and alumni gatherings, data analyses and generation of statistical reports.

Should you have any queries concerning the Policy, please call (852) 3411 7400.

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