The Innovation & Technology Bureau announced that as of 3pm today, the CuMask online registration system had received over 500,000 registrations, covering close to 1.38 million registrants in total. 

The bureau also responded to reports concerning the purpose of information collection and security of the registration system.

It noted that information provided by citizens in obtaining the masks will not be used for other purposes and that the Government will ensure the retention period of the personal data is no longer than the time required for the purposes for which the data is used.

The bureau pointed out that the registration system for masks operates on the Government's private cloud to ensure the stability and security of the system. 

In order to prevent intrusion and data leakage, multiple security measures have been put in place in compliance with the Government Information Technology Security Policy & Guidelines. 

These measures include a firewall, intrusion detection, anti-bot technology and installation of the latest anti-virus software with regular updates of virus definitions. 

The service has also passed an information security risk assessment and audit before launch.

The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data has been consulted on the system's personal data processing arrangements. 

The system has also passed an independent third-party privacy impact assessment to ensure that the relevant service and system comply with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.

The bureau further explained that citizens need to provide their Hong Kong identity card number and date of birth for the registration system to match data with the Immigration Department’s system.

The process will be used to ascertain whether the registrant is a Hong Kong resident and check against any duplicated registrations. 

The local mobile number serves as a way to receive SMS messages on registration results and delivery, while the name and local address of the main registrant serves to verify whether the address exists and for arranging delivery. 

The bureau emphasised that the purposes of information collection have been clearly displayed on the front of the registration page for citizens to browse before registration.

Meanwhile, the bureau clarified the online rumours regarding the manufacturer of CuMask, noting that the CuMask is not manufactured by the Sun Hing Knitting Factory Limited nor Nan Fung Group.

The procurement of raw materials, coordination of production, sterilisation and packaging of the CuMask are being handled by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles & Apparel, it said.

The bureau expressed regret about the rumours.