Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Industries Association Limited (“HKAIIA”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is a member-governed private company registered under the laws of Hong Kong SAR.

We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal data in accordance with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) (“PDPO”) of Hong Kong. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you interact with our website at www.aiiahk.com, attend our events, apply for membership, or otherwise engage with HKAIIA.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Identity information: full name, job title, company or organisation name
• Contact information: email address, phone number, postal address
• Professional information: company website, business description, industry sector
• Membership information: membership type, referral details, application data
• Member account data: name, company, job title and email address; your password, which is stored only in scrambled (hashed) form by our account provider; and the status of your access request
• Event registration data: event preferences, dietary requirements, attendance records
• Payment references: FPS transaction references, bank transfer confirmations (we do not store full bank account numbers or credit card details)
• Website usage data: pages visited, browser type, device information (collected via cookies where applicable)

3. Purpose of Collection

In accordance with Data Protection Principle 1 of the PDPO, we collect personal data for the following purposes:

• Processing and administering membership applications
• Managing event registrations and payments
• Managing access to the member area, including checking that applicants are HKAIIA members
• Communicating about HKAIIA activities, events, and updates
• Operating and improving our website and services
• Responding to enquiries submitted via our contact forms
• Maintaining records for regulatory and governance purposes

4. How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used only for the purposes stated above or purposes directly related to them. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties.

We may share your data with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our website, conducting our activities, or servicing you, provided that those parties agree to keep this information confidential and process it in compliance with the PDPO.

5. Data Retention

In accordance with Data Protection Principle 2 of the PDPO, we retain personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

• Membership data: retained during your active membership and for two (2) years following termination or non-renewal
• Event registration data: retained for one (1) year after the event
• Contact form enquiries: retained for one (1) year after resolution
• Member accounts: retained while you have access to the member area; deleted when a request is declined, when access is withdrawn, when you ask us, or after thirty (30) days if the email address is never confirmed
• Financial records: retained as required by Hong Kong tax and audit regulations

You may request the deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us at info@aiiahk.com. We will process your request unless retention is required by law.

6. Data Security

In accordance with Data Protection Principle 4 of the PDPO, we take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or accidental access, processing, erasure, loss, or use. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted via our website
• Access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel
• Secure hosting infrastructure provided by Vercel
• Regular review of data security practices

7. Cookies

Our website may use cookies, small text files stored on your device, to improve your browsing experience. These may include:

• Essential cookies: required for the website to function properly (e.g., session management). When you sign in to the member area, we set three such cookies: hkaiia_at (your session, one hour), hkaiia_rt (keeps you signed in, up to thirty days) and hkaiia_member (tells the page that you are signed in; it contains no personal data). They are removed when you sign out.
• Analytics cookies: used to understand how visitors interact with our website, helping us improve our content and services

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality.

8. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate our website and services:

• Vercel: website hosting and deployment
• Sanity.io: content management system for managing news, events, and member content
• Resend: transactional email delivery for form submissions, notifications and member account emails
• Supabase: sign-in and storage of member account data
• Moonshot AI (Kimi): generates the answers of our AI assistant (see section 10) and ranks member matchmaking suggestions (see section 9)

These providers may process data on our behalf and are subject to their own privacy policies. We select providers that maintain appropriate data protection standards.

9. Member Accounts

HKAIIA members with a current membership can request an account for the member area. When you do, we collect your name, company, job title (optional) and email address, and you choose a password. Our account provider, Supabase, stores this data on servers in Mumbai, India, and keeps the password only in scrambled (hashed) form; HKAIIA never sees it.

We use this information only to confirm your email address, to check that you are an HKAIIA member, to let you sign in, and to send you emails about your account (confirmation, approval, password reset). Your request is seen by the people who approve access on behalf of HKAIIA. We do not use account data for direct marketing.

Member matchmaking: when you describe what you are looking for, the description is sent to Moonshot AI (Kimi) to rank member companies, together with the fact that you are a member and the company name on your account (so that your own company is not suggested). HKAIIA does not store the description. When you request an introduction, your name, company, email address and message are emailed to the HKAIIA secretariat, who use them only to arrange that introduction and may pass your name, company and message to the company you chose.

If your request is declined, your account details are deleted. You can ask us to delete your account at any time by writing to info@aiiahk.com.

10. AI Assistant

Our website offers an AI assistant (“Ask HKAIIA”) that answers questions about HKAIIA using the content of this website. When you use it, your question and the earlier messages of the same conversation are sent to Moonshot AI (Kimi), an AI service provider headquartered in Mainland China, which generates the answer. If you are signed in, the assistant is told only that you are a member, not who you are.

HKAIIA does not store your questions or the answers. The conversation is kept only in your browser window and is gone when you close or reload the page. To prevent misuse, your IP address is counted in the server’s memory for up to one day and is not recorded anywhere else. Please do not enter personal data or confidential information. Answers are generated automatically, may contain mistakes and are not advice.

11. Your Rights Under the PDPO

Under the PDPO, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access (DPP 6): you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right of correction (DPP 6): you may request the correction of any inaccurate personal data

To exercise these rights, please submit a written request to info@aiiahk.com. We will respond to your request within forty (40) days in accordance with the PDPO. A reasonable fee may be charged for processing data access requests as permitted under the Ordinance.

12. Direct Marketing

In accordance with Section 35C of the PDPO, we will obtain your prior consent before using your personal data for direct marketing purposes. Direct marketing may include communications about:

• HKAIIA events, seminars, and workshops
• Membership benefits and updates
• Industry news and AI-related content
• Partner activities and collaboration opportunities

You may opt out of direct marketing communications at any time by contacting us at info@aiiahk.com or using the unsubscribe mechanism provided in our communications. We will cease to use your data for direct marketing purposes without charge.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated via our website or email where appropriate.

14. Contact

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us: