Journalists demand repeal of tighter rules on accessing Hong Kong land records

The Hong Kong Journalists Association has called on authorities to scrap recently gazetted amendments to land-registration regulations that would curb media access to the public land records database. The draft rules limit searches to nine defined purposes, excluding journalism, and require each request to be approved by the Land Registrar. The HKJA contends there is no evidence the existing system threatens privacy and that the new constraints would impede the press’s ability to monitor the property market and expose misuse.

It warned that the measures would create an information imbalance favoring developers and other vested interests. The association cited 18 past investigative pieces that relied on land-registry data and said the reforms could render most daily property reporting impossible. The Development Bureau says the changes aim to balance privacy protection with transparency, and they are set to take effect next year.