Hong Kong Journalists Say Surveillance Fears Deepen After Stand News Shutdown | World News

When police raided Stand News’ newsroom in December 2021, they did more than arrest editors and freeze assets. They took away computers, mobile phones and hard drives; it’s a detail that has since taken on lasting significance for many journalists in Hong Kong.

The raid by more than 200 police officers marked the closure of one of the city’s last leading pro-democracy media outlets. But it also highlighted a quieter shift in the way information is controlled in the Chinese-ruled city: through surveillance powers, digital takedowns and a growing expectation among reporters that their work, communications and sources can be monitored.

Journalists and media advocates say the case is changing professional behavior in Hong Kong’s press industry and reinforcing a climate where caution is increasingly replacing investigation.

Devices were seized, archives were deleted

During the Stand News operation, police seized newsroom equipment and personal electronic devices belonging to staff. Within hours, the outlet announced it would shut down and removed its website and social media content, erasing years of news from public access.

Authorities said the action was part of an investigation into sedition crimes. But press freedom groups say the seizure of journalistic material and rapid deletion of digital archives sends a broader signal about the vulnerability of media data under the current security framework.

Under Article 43 of Hong Kong’s national security legislation, police have the power to order the removal of online content deemed to endanger national security and to require internet platforms to provide user data. These powers have been used since 2020 to block or restrict access to certain websites for the first time in the city’s history.

For journalists, the combination of physical raids and digital authorities has blurred the line between reporting and exposure.

“Fear is no longer just about what you publish,” said a Hong Kong-based reporter who declined to give his name due to security concerns. “It’s about what’s on your phone, your laptop, your messages.”

Surveillance concerns are spreading

Concerns about oversight have increased with enforcement actions. A 2023 survey by the Foreign Correspondents Club found that more than one in ten journalists in Hong Kong reported having experienced digital or physical surveillance, a phenomenon long associated with mainland China but previously rare in the city.

Media insiders say such concerns now shape daily decisions, from how sources are contacted to what topics are covered. Once encryption tools became optional, they became routine. Some journalists say they avoid sensitive conversations on personal devices altogether.

Police have not publicly disclosed the extent of any monitoring activity related to media investigations. Officials have repeatedly said press freedom is protected under Hong Kong law, though not “absolutely,” and that sanctions target illegal behavior rather than journalism.

Laws narrow online space

Beyond individual cases, changes to Hong Kong’s legal structure have expanded the state’s access to digital spaces. Changes to anti-disclosure laws require online platforms to remove content and disclose user information when ordered to do so by authorities. Media advocates say that although these measures are framed as protections against harassment, they also increase the risk for journalists and their sources.

Cumulative impact is a system in which information can be restricted quickly and with limited transparency, according to press groups. Entire outlets can disappear overnight, and reporters must assume that published material, even unpublished drafts, can be reviewed later.

The Stand News incident revealed this vulnerability. Police are collecting not only published articles but also internal material, raising concerns about source protection and newsroom confidentiality.

Self-censorship is becoming widespread

In the days following Stand News’ closure, another independent publication, Citizen News, announced it would cease operations, citing a “deteriorating media environment” and staff safety concerns. Other outlets remained open but changed their editorial approaches.

Journalists say this produces a form of self-regulation that does not require an explicit order. Sensitive topics are avoided, language is softened, and research work is reduced. Editors weigh legal and personal risks against the value of the publication.

Press freedom organizations describe this as a “chilling effect”; an influence that operates through uncertainty rather than prohibitions. Because surveillance powers are broad and enforcement is rapid, the limits of acceptable reporting are often defined only after those limits have been exceeded.

Convergence with mainland applications

Analysts say Hong Kong’s evolving media landscape increasingly resembles that of mainland China, where surveillance, content controls and legal pressure have long shaped journalism. The spread of similar mechanisms to Hong Kong marks a break with the city’s history as a regional hub for relatively free journalism.

Once upon a time, Hong Kong journalists operated under the assumption that professional norms and legal protections would protect their work. The Stand News raid challenged this assumption and showed how quickly these protections can be overridden.

When officers left the newsroom that day, the publishing house had already closed. Its data was confiscated, its archives erased, and its future seized.

For many journalists currently working in Hong Kong, the lesson was found not in court decisions or official statements, but in the practical reality of the operation. Surveillance no longer seems like a distant possibility, they say. It feels like it’s built into the system.