news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

earlier this month, a blogger wore what appeared to be an official staff member of the hong kong independent commission against corruption, took photos and "checked in" in front of the agency, and posted them on the platform, which attracted attention.

on september 17, a staff member of the hong kong independent commission against corruption's chief communications and media affairs group responded to red star news that the icac welcomes citizens and tourists to visit the icac headquarters and its various branch offices to take photos and "check in", but they should be careful not to impersonate icac personnel, otherwise they will violate hong kong law.

▲a blogger took a photo wearing a suspected forged hong kong independent commission against corruption id and posted it online

red star news noted that the blogger's account on the relevant platform has been banned. regarding whether the netizen was punished, the staff of the hong kong independent commission against corruption did not give a clear answer, but said that the icac will handle each case of suspected illegality in accordance with the law and established procedures.

hong kong independent commission against corruption:

welcome to check in

but you must not pretend to be an icac officer

earlier this month, a netizen discovered that a blogger was wearing a id card that looked like that of an icac staff member and took a photo in front of the icac. the blogger posted the photo on his platform account and also posted a close-up of the id card he was wearing. the id card was highly similar to the id card of an official staff member of the icac. in addition to the netizen's name, it also had the position "chief investigation director" written on it. the blogger previously had nearly 50,000 followers on the platform.

afterwards, some netizens questioned whether the id card he was wearing was forged, which may have violated hong kong laws and regulations. previously, the hong kong independent commission against corruption responded to the media that if someone impersonates an icac officer, once confirmed after investigation, they may be sentenced to up to one year in prison and a fine.

▲the blogger posted a suspected forged icac staff certificate

however, some netizens also said that the blogger’s previous content was mostly related to fashion and checking in. if you can distinguish it a little, it is easy to tell that he is not an icac staff member.

after checking the community convention of the platform, the reporter noticed that according to the platform's requirements, if a blogger impersonates someone else, or seeks attention through exaggeration, curiosity, etc., the platform will handle it according to the actual situation. after searching, the reporter of red star news found that after the incident fermented, the platform banned the blogger's account.

on september 17, in response to this incident, the hong kong independent commission against corruption's general communications and media affairs group staff replied to red star news that the hong kong independent commission against corruption has always welcomed citizens and tourists to visit the icac headquarters and various branch offices to take photos and "check in" as souvenirs, to support the icac's anti-corruption work and to understand hong kong's integrity culture. however, the public should be aware that they must not impersonate icac personnel, otherwise they will violate hong kong law.

the staff member introduced that according to section 13c of the independent commission against corruption ordinance, chapter 204 of the laws of hong kong, anyone who impersonates an icac officer may be fined and imprisoned for one year upon conviction. in addition, if someone makes, uses or possesses forged icac officer documents, they may also violate relevant crimes under the criminal offences ordinance, chapter 200 of the laws of hong kong, such as the crime of forgery under section 71, which, upon conviction, may be sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment.

regarding whether the netizen was punished, the staff of the hong kong independent commission against corruption's general communications and media affairs group did not give a clear answer, but they said that for every case of suspected violation of the law, the icac will handle it in accordance with the law and established procedures.

lawyer's analysis:

posting photos on online platforms

authenticity should be ensured as much as possible

red star news noted that many netizens had visited the icac to take photos and "check in" and posted them on online platforms. as for the blogger who checked in at the icac wearing a suspected forged id, some people questioned whether the blogger was trying to attract attention through such content.

yin qingli, director of beijing fuli law firm, said that if the blogger uses this method to attract traffic and generate profits, the public security organs can impose administrative penalties or criminal liability on her in accordance with the law, and can also impose a certain fine or confiscate illegal income, fines and other economic penalties. if the blogger is in hong kong, the hong kong judicial authorities can convict and fine her for impersonating an icac officer in accordance with the hong kong "icac ordinance". if the blogger has returned to the mainland, the hong kong judicial authorities can also assist the mainland criminal justice system in resolving the issue of criminal liability for the female internet celebrity.

fu jian, director of henan zejin law firm, believes that users should ensure the authenticity of photos posted on online platforms as much as possible. the blogger dressed up in front of the hong kong independent commission against corruption and displayed photos of suspected self-made documents, which may violate the relevant regulations of the platform. secondly, if the information misleads others and causes chaos in the network order, it may need to bear certain administrative responsibilities. finally, the blogger's behavior may undermine the seriousness of the independent commission against corruption, and is suspected of violating public order and morality and damaging the reputation of others. he needs to bear certain administrative responsibilities, and in serious cases, he may also need to bear certain criminal responsibilities.

fu jian said that there are many legal risks in using this method to make profits. if it causes misunderstandings and makes others fall into mistakes, which in turn leads to property losses, it is suspected of fraud and needs to bear criminal responsibility. his profit-making behavior may also infringe on the reputation of the independent commission against corruption and disrupt social order. he may need to bear certain civil or administrative responsibilities. as for the suspected violation of hong kong laws by the blogger, whether it constitutes a crime needs further investigation and verification. if it constitutes a crime, he should bear responsibility.

red star news reporter fu yao