Privacy watchdog head resigns for ‘personal reasons’

Vasco Fong

Vasco Fong has resigned from the Office for Personal Data Protection’s (GPDP) coordinator post. Fong’s resignation, which was first reported by Radio Macau, was confirmed to the Times yesterday by the GPDP office.

According to a statement e-mailed by GPDP representatives, Fong has “previously submitted his resignation from his current position” to the chief executive due to “personal reasons.” Following Chui Sai On’s approval, Fong will return to the Court of Second Instance from July 1.  The GPDP office said that it had “no further comment at this stage.” Fong’s tenure as GPDP’s head was scheduled to last until March 12 next year.

Fong has been leading the privacy watchdog since December 2014. He was previously the head of the Commission Against Corruption – between 2009 and 2014 – and presided to the Electoral Affairs Commission in 2009.

During his time at GPDP, Fong was involved in several controversies. One such case was in 2015 when the GPDP coordinator denied claims made by the pro-democracy group New Macau Association, that the bureau had been selling citizens’ personal data to police authorities. Fong claimed that there was a misunderstanding following the release of a GPDP report through which the office confirmed it authorized Judiciary Police (PJ) officers to request personal data on members of local associations through  Identification Services. At the time, Fong assured the public that authorities are not collecting personal data on association members’ political affiliations, religion or beliefs.

Also in 2015, Fong spearheaded a proposal to restructure the GPDP and turn it into a Commission for Privacy and Data Protection. Fong justified the proposal with the challenges  the department was facing to be recognized as an independent entity by similar overseas institutions. But the proposal was not followed.    

GPDP released its latest annual report last year, regarding its activities in 2015, when 155 privacy probes were dealt with by the department. The number has dropped by 39 compared to 2014, but 14 more than in 2013. “It reflects that people still care about their privacy,” commented Fong.