Hong Kong privacy watchdog warns 3 domestic workers over use of employers’ data for loans

Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has issued warning letters to three domestic workers after they used their employers’ personal data without consent to secure loans.

Ada Chung, commissioner of PCPD, speaks at a press conference on August 25, 2026. Photo: PCPD.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said in a press conference on Tuesday that it has been following three cases concerning foreign domestic workers who used the names, mobile phone numbers, and residential addresses of their employers to borrow money from finance companies.

All three employers were unaware of the situation and did not consent to the use of their personal data. Since the loans were unrelated to their employment, the workers were found to have violated the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, the PCPD said.

Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung said in the press conference that all three employers received phone calls and WhatsApp messages asking them to remind the domestic workers to meet their outstanding payments.

One employer was also warned that debt collectors would be sent to their home if the domestic worker’s debts were not repaid by a certain date.

Migrant domestic workers sit in front of a luxury fragrance advertisement in Hong Kong, on November 5, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

“Many employers also fully recognise FDHs’ [foreign domestic workers’] contributions to their households,” Chung said in a press release. “However, if FDHs use their employers’ personal data to apply for loans without the employers’ knowledge or consent, unnecessary distress may be caused to the employers.”

All three domestic workers were dismissed soon after their employers found out about the inappropriate use of their personal data.

The commissioner also said on Commercial Radio on Wednesday that affected employers should report cases to the government so that they can be taken into consideration should the workers apply to return to Hong Kong in the future.

The watchdog reminded foreign domestic workers to obtain explicit consent before using their employers’ personal information for loan applications and other purposes unrelated to their employment.

HKFP reported in 2024 that loan sharks often target foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, as they are expected to send back money regularly to support their family back home.