Privacy Policy

We respect your privacy.

We are fully committed to implementing and complying with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (“Ordinance”). Every effort is made to ensure that we handle and protect your personal data according to its requirements.

Kinds of Personal Data Held

There are two broad categories of personal data held in SCMP Hearst Hong Kong Limited (“SCMP Hearst”). They are personal data contained in:

Subscription and Free Trial Records , which include records containing information supplied by individuals who explore or subscribe to any print or electronic publication of SCMP Hearst.

Event Records , which include personal data provided to SCMP Hearst from individuals for participating promotional, entertainment and training activities organized by SCMP Hearst, either on its own or jointly with its business partners.

Main Purposes of keeping Personal Data

Personal data held in:

These are kept for the purposes of: (i) administering the subscription and free trials; (ii) responding to and taking follow-up action on existing or potential subscribers’ inquiries; and (iii) improving on such services.

Please note that we need to disclose your personal data in the Subscription and Free Trial Records to:

1. Credit card companies, financial institutions and debt collection agencies for processing or handling your payment and/or any amounts that you owe us;
2. Our professional advisors (such as lawyers, accountants and financial advisors) to assist us with attending to such matters as stated in (i) and (ii) above under the “Subscription and Free Trial Records” section; and
3. To such persons or institutions and for such purposes as required under law or by an order of a court, regulatory authority or governmental body.

These are kept for: (i) administering the promotional, entertainment and training activities (collectively the “Activities”); (ii) responding to and taking follow-up action on existing or potential attendees’ inquiries; and (iii) improving the Activities.

Data Disclosure and Marketing Usage

The personal data disclosure regarding the Subscription and Free Trial Records stated in points (a) to (c) above will only be made subject to our compliance with the Ordinance.

If we need to disclose your personal data for purposes other than those stated above, we can only do so subject to obtaining your consent and complying with all relevant provisions under the Ordinance.

We may occasionally use the personal data in the Subscription and Free Trial Records and Event Records for direct marketing: (i) the publications of SCMP Hearst; and (ii) such specified products and/or services of our business partners, provided that you have explicitly consented to such use and we have complied with all relevant requirements or provisions under the Ordinance.

We only retain your personal data for such period as necessary for such data usage purposes as you have consented to.

Practices

We use our best efforts to monitor our compliance with the Ordinance.

The following are maintained to ensure compliance with the Ordinance:

• A Data Protection Log Book to record data access and correction requests.
• A Data Protection Operations Manual to set out the operational procedures and standards for protecting personal data.
• Staff training sessions on personal data privacy.
• Data Access Request Form for access/correction requests relating to your personal data.

You have the right to opt-out, at any time, of any marketing materials that you have agreed to receive and/or you have been receiving.

Data access/correction and/or opt-out requests to us may be addressed to our "Customer Relationship Management Team" at:

SCMP Hearst Hong Kong Limited
Level 13, Core F
Cyberport 3
100 Cyberport Road
Hong Kong
Email: esquire.webmaster@scmp.com

Anonymous Browsing

Visitors can browse our Website on an anonymous basis. We have not configured our Website to collect any personal information from your computer without your input. This means we will not know your identity and/or personal data about you unless you, as an anonymous visitor, voluntarily and knowingly provide us with such information.

Use of Cookies

We use cookies to gather information about both anonymous users and our registered Website users’ browsing activities so as to improve our services – (i) IP addresses; (ii) date/time of your last visit; (iii) which articles that you have read and/or commented on; (iv) what content you have posted on our Website; and (v) what products/services that you have purchased on our Website, if you set your browser to accept cookies.

While such cookies are capable of collecting information about which articles on the Website that you have read and the number of these articles, such information will stay on the computer or device that you use to browse the Website. We will not have records of the same.

You can choose not to accept cookies. If you do, some parts of our website will not function fully which may interfere with your use of our website and we will not be able to recommend content and advertising information that you may like.