Hong Kong criminalises refusal to unlock devices under tightened national security rules
Mar 23rd 2026 ยท Hong Kong
Amendments to Hong Kong's national security law implementation rules criminalise refusing to provide phone passwords and broaden police powers to demand decryption and assistance, with tougher penalties gazetted Monday.
- Refusing to provide access to an electronic device during a national security investigation is now a criminal offence.
- The government gazetted the amendments Monday as the second change to the law's implementation rules since its 2020 introduction, after a technical update in 2023.
- Police officers with magistrate warrants and those at or above assistant commissioner rank can require passwords, decryption methods, or other reasonable assistance.
- Penalties for existing national security offences were increased under the revised rules.
- The government said the changes aim to strengthen enforcement, improve crime prevention, and address sudden national security risks amid volatile geopolitics.