A Hong Kong press group has urged the government to scrap new rules tightening media access to the city’s land records, warning that the arrangements will “exacerbate information asymmetry” and harm freedom of information.

Hong Kong Land Registry’s online search services. Photo: Screenshot.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) called on authorities on Wednesday to shelve amendments to land registration regulations that could restrict media access to land records – a public database vital for news reporting in a city where property is a pillar of the economy.

The HKJA also urged the Legislative Council (LegCo) to give the amendments “careful consideration” and to press the authorities to set “operational standards” to protect the free flow of information.

“Hong Kong has long upheld free-market principles and should take pride in its market transparency rather than move in the opposite direction,” the HKJA said in a submission to LegCo.

‘Strike a balance’

Amendments to the regulations were gazetted last week and will come into effect next year, according to a Development Bureau statement.

Currently, there are no restrictions on who may access the land records and searchers do not need to provide supporting documents. Members of the public only need to declare compliance with the city’s privacy laws to search for records.

The new rules state that searches can only be conducted for nine purposes deemed legitimate for accessing records, including academic and market research.

News reporting is not among the nine specified purposes, although “public interest” is listed as a valid ground. However, any application will be vetted by the Land Registrar on a case-by-case basis.

The Development Bureau said in a document submitted to LegCo that the move was intended to strengthen privacy protection. “[The changes] aim to strike a balance between the need to protect personal data privacy and the importance of preserving the role and purpose of the [land records]… to ensure its transparency and efficiency,” the bureau said.

Press freedom concerns

But the HKJA argued that there was no evidence that the previous arrangements had threatened privacy.

“That assertion is not sufficient to support the tightening of searches, and the authorities should not allow a single reference to the protection of privacy to override the public’s right to know,” the HKJA said.

It also argued that the new rules will weaken the public’s and the media’s ability to monitor the property market.

Hong Kong Journalists Association. File photo: HKFP.

“Under the new rules, land records will continue to facilitate transactions for those with commercial interests, while members of the public or parties with no direct interest who wish to monitor property ownership and fair dealing will first have to obtain special approval,” the HKJA said.

“This is bound to seriously impede the use of public information to break down entrenched interests,” it added.

The HKJA listed 18 investigative news reports that used the land records as examples of reporting that it said “could not be carried out” under the tightened land search system.

Selina Cheng, HKJA chair, said that the new rules would “wipe out” most daily property reporting and make journalistic investigations into potential land misuse “impossible.”

“What the new arrangement will do is allow convenience to those with commercial or vested interests to conduct property transactions, while members of the public with no direct interest but wishing to monitor how property is used or abused, including the media, must instead jump through extra hoops,” she told HKFP.

“The new arrangement will exacerbate information asymmetry between big developers or property owners, and those less resourceful,” she added.

Selina Cheng at the Eastern Magistrates’ Court on March 9, 2026. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Hong Kong’s news media have long relied on access to land records and other public registries for investigative reporting. The HKJA noted, however, that access to this information has been restricted in recent years.

See also: Hong Kong press group criticises new curbs on media access to vehicle registry, gov’t says accusation ‘false’

In 2024, the government introduced new rules on media access to vehicle records. The move came after a veteran journalist was convicted, and later cleared by the city’s highest court, of making a false statement when accessing the vehicle registry for reporting purposes related to the 2019 protests and unrest.

“[O]f 17 applications made by the media for vehicle registration particulars for journalistic purposes, only one was partially approved, and […] only after considerable delay,” the journalists’ group said.

The HKJA launched a legal challenge against the government’s restrictions on media access to the vehicle registry in 2024, but the bid was dismissed by the High Court earlier this year.