Publications and Press Releases - Speeches and Presentations

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Archive > Year 2004 > OGCIO > Speeches and Presentations in Year 2004

Speech by Mr. Stephen Mak, JP Deputy Government Chief Information Officer at the Opening Ceremony of The Croucher Foundation Advanced Study Institute on Cryptography and Wireless Security at the City University of Hong Kong
11 - 12 - 2004

Professor Tong, Professor Yao, Mr Sin, Distinguished Speakers and Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning! I am pleased to speak with you on this special occasion to mark the opening of the Croucher Foundation Advanced Study Institute (ASI) on Cryptography and Wireless Security. I would like to congratulate the Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong and the organising committee on successfully staging this rich programme which has brought together world-renowned experts, researchers, industry practitioners and professionals as speakers and participants of this 6-day event. Browsing through the programme, I am sure participants are going to have some highly intellectual and informed exchanges on some very important issues and research results on cryptography and wireless security.

With the advent of Wireless and Mobile Services and Technology, or WMST in short, new and innovative wireless and mobile channels are available for electronic information exchange and conduct of e-business. Apart from improving our work efficiency and productivity, WMST is fast becoming a new way of life. People can see and do many things through it anywhere, anytime. In Hong Kong, statistics show that WMST usage has been increasing in popularity in both business and leisure. The mobile penetration rate in Hong Kong stands at nearly 120%, which is among the highest in the world. The number of SMS messages sent and received a month are over 73 million and 140 million respectively. Besides, the number of 2.5G mobile customers has tripled from 326,000 in April last year to 999,000 in April this year. With the launching of 3G mobile services, the bundling of multi-media capability on the devices concerned, and rapid developments in service and price offerings, the WMST adoption rate and the expectations of the user community are reaching new highs by the day.

The Government of the HKSAR has been a staunch supporter of innovation and technology in relevant areas. In the 2004 Digital 21 Strategy, our blueprint for information and communications technology that was published in March this year, we have identified eight main focus areas of action to sustain Hong Kong’s position as a leading digital city. One of these areas relates to our continued investment in R&D and the facilitation of technological development. Through the Innovation and Technology Fund, or ITF, we have provided seed money and incentives to encourage investments in research and development, strengthen commercialisation arrangements, and foster the development of innovative applications and services in various technology areas.

In order to provide a platform for developing WMST applications, solutions and services, the ITF has funded a project initiated by the wireless technology industry to set up the Hong Kong Wireless Development Centre, or WDC, at the Cyberport in December last year. The WDC brings together wireless solution developers, service suppliers and equipment vendors and provides them with a neutral and central platform for the development, testing and marketing of innovative applications and services. The ultimate objective is to support the development of Hong Kong into a regional mobile and wireless hub in the Asia Pacific Region so as to attract investments and talents from around the world.

Nowadays, the Internet is widely used for communication and performing business transactions. It has brought to us numerous benefits and created plenty of business opportunities. At the same time, it has exposed users to various risks such as virus, hacking, frauds and cyber crimes. As the growth in electronic communication and e-business accelerates, fuelled by the increasing popularity of wireless channels on an anytime, anywhere basis, so is the concern about security of the cyberspace.

The Government is well aware of the need for assuring cyber security, and has invested a lot of resources and efforts over the years on facilitating the community in doing e-business securely, through various initiatives on legal framework, public education and promotion, collaboration with local stakeholders and international bodies, as well as establishment of an information security management framework and adoption of advanced technologies in Government services. In collaboration with various information security associations and industry players, we have posted on the web information and advice on security strategies for wireless networks as well as related research findings and best practices for reference by the public.

Through the enactment of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance, or ETO, in January 2000, we have put in place a clear legal framework for the conduct of e-business. The ETO accords electronic record and digital signature the same legal recognition as that of their paper-based counterparts. A voluntary recognition scheme for certification authorities has also been established under the ETO to enhance public confidence in electronic transactions. Earlier this year, we have completed a review of the ETO to bring it in line with latest international developments. The Electronic Transactions (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 has come into operation on 30 June.

In order to inspire public confidence in the conduct of e-business, the Government is committed to maintaining a secure environment to drive e-business and facilitate IT adoption by business sectors. We will continue to strengthen the information security infrastructure and promote public awareness of cyber security. We lead by example, and uphold very high standards of security and data protection through our information security management framework. We make exemplary use of cryptographic technologies to facilitate secure communication among Government users of IT and with the general public. We have implemented a government-wide Confidential Mail System that makes use of digital certificates for digital signing and encryption of e-mails and related content. Cryptographic technologies are also adopted in some of our G2B and G2C e-Government applications where necessary. Under our Multi-application Smart ID Card programme, we have made available the option for smart identity card holders to include a digital certificate issued by the Hongkong Post Certification Authority in the card. To-date, over 600,000 smart identity cards issued have got the digital certificate embedded. This will create a critical mass of digital certificate holders and will in turn create incentives for businesses and individuals to perform transactions that require high level of security assurance through electronic means. We have also installed smart ID card readers at public kiosks to facilitate those transactions that require authentication of the citizen’s identity when his or her smart ID card has stored a digital certificate.

There is no doubt that continued R&D on the theory and practice of cryptography will have a significant effect on information security, and wireless security in particular. This ASI programme on Cryptography and Wireless Security has not only created an excellent environment for learning and experience sharing among leading experts, researchers and practitioners in the industry, it will also set the scene for further collaboration among the academia and industry on nurturing the innovation and research work through which our e-business infrastructure will be further enhanced. Last but not the least, I would like to thank the Department of Computer Science of the City University of Hong Kong for giving me this opportunity to address you and I do wish the institute will be a great success. For the guests and participants who have come from outside Hong Kong, I wish you a very pleasant stay and hope that you will enjoy the fine weather, the wonderful shopping and sightseeing during your stay here.

Thank you.

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