Facebook has rejected all 202 requests from Hong Kong authorities to view the data of its users in the six months since the city’s national security law came into force, the social media platform says in its Transparency Report.

All but one of the requests were related to legal processes and were accompanied by documents such as search warrants. There was a sole application for emergency disclosure, which Facebook turned down as well.

Similar queries from the governments of Iraq, Russia and Sri Lanka in the same period, of July to December last year, also failed to get approval, the report said.

The requested data often involved users’ names, dates of registration and IP addresses, the company said. They did not cover only Facebook, but also other platforms that it owned, such as Instagram and WhatsApp.

Facebook’s 100% rejection rate of the Hong Kong requests contrasted with the first half of 2020, before the national security law took effect on June 30 but after anti-extradition bill protests rocked the city in 2019. Between January and June 2020, the company surrendered data in 24% of the 262 requests received.

The latest Transparency Report also reflected Facebook’s position, which was explained in a company statement issued after the new law came into being, that it would stop processing requests from the Hong Kong government. Facebook said it supported the freedom of expression.

The report also revealed that in the second half of last year, Facebook removed 13 posts that could contravene Hong Kong laws.

Police said in response to Apple Daily’s inquiries that they would seek information from individuals and organizations in their investigations.

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