Scandal in the digital age

1. NBC News Blog

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

Blogger: Ed Flanagan

The Post: Police handling and privacy rights

What it says: Outside of the realm of gossip reporting, an interesting debate over internet rights and the Hong Kong police's handling of the scandal has emerged. Flanagan writes that police have been under fire from local civil liberties groups and legislators after commissioner of police Tang King-Shing declared, incorrectly, that even the mere possession of the photos could be illegal and grounds for arrest. "Concerns over privacy and government regulation of the internet will certainly, for better or for worse, draw eerie comparisons to the regulations that currently rule just across the border in mainland China," Flanagan says.

2. Global Voices

URL: http://www.globalvoicesonline.org

Blogger: Oiwan Lam

The Post: From Sex to Police Scandal

What it says: The issue is not only a sex scandal about various prominent local pop stars, but also an outburst in response to the tension caused by the "indecent and obscene censorship" system and the police's abuse of power, Lam writes. "Because the victims of the scandal refused to stand out for a testimony at the beginning, the police did not treat the case as the "stealing of private data". Instead, they applied the Control of Indecent & Obscene Article Ordinance to crack down on the distribution of the photos on the Internet," Lam says.

3. Hong Kong Golden Forum

URL: http://www.interlocals.net

Blogger: Not listed

The Post: Big Brother is Watching You!

What it says: This site has been established by Hong Kong residents to raise money to launch a campaign against what it says is police abuse of power. The site lists five examples this abuse, including breaches of existing Control of Indecent and Obscene Article Ordinance laws. "The photos might have violated the privacy of the popstars involved, however, because the popstars refused to admit that the photos are genuine and did not apply for court order to ban the circulation of the photos, the police chose to use "the Control of Indecent and Obscene Article Ordinance," the post says.

BLOG EDC

4. URL: http://www.clotinc.com/blogs/public/edc/

Blogger: Edison Chen

The Post: My Statement

What it says: Edison Chen, the star at the centre of the scandal, used his own blog post a short video response and apologise for the ordeal. He also used the video to call on the online community to stop spreading the images and delete any they may have downloaded. The mass media was quick to pick up on his post, which was widely circulated around the internet, on YouTube and the media's own websites.