The companies are responding to a new national security law imposed on the city by the Chinese government.
Facebook and its private messaging service WhatsApp, as well as Twitter, will stop reviewing requests from Hong Kong for user data while the companies evaluate a new national security law imposed on the city by the Chinese government.
The new national security law was revealed at the end of June and has already had a chilling effect on the city that has long been a haven for more open free speech and Internet access than mainland China. People in Hong Kong have started deleting their social media accounts and an upstart political party disbanded. The law gives Beijing wide reach to crack down on those in Hong Kong who criticize its government, including imposing life imprisonment.
Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said it would stop considering requests from Hong Kong until the company reviewed the law and consulted with international human rights experts.
