Welcome to Resilience Innovation Lab (RIL) ! Apologies for the late delivery of this newsletter as we have accomplished several events in May and June. In this newsletter, we will discuss the latest development of information access in Hong Kong, and share our fruits from events in London, UK.
Civil Society Response to the Tightened Information Environment in Hong Kong
In our previous issue, we highlighted the increasing constraints on the information environment in Hong Kong, particularly focusing on the alarming trend of public data being removed from government platforms.
This month, we are heartened to see the Hong Kong civil society stepping up in defence of public access to information. Following the Ombudsman’s removal of hundreds of investigation reports from its website, multiple civil society actors have come together to restore access by archiving and disseminating the withdrawn content.
Backup repositories of the deleted reports were created by civil society members in Hong Kong, ensuring that these vital records remain accessible to the public, researchers, and journalists. Other community-led initiatives have meticulously documented and indexed the 238 removed reports, challenging the Ombudsman’s refusal to provide a formal catalogue of the materials withdraw.
We deeply appreciate these efforts to preserve Hong Kong’s information heritage. These initiatives echo the key findings and recommendations in our April 2025 report, Safeguarding Freedom of Information in Hong Kong, where we emphasised the importance of decentralised archiving and the role of civil society in defending transparency (read full report).
In times of systemic erasure, it is the resilience and innovation of civil society that keeps the light on.
Read the community-led archived Ombudsman reports here:
List of Direct Investigation (2014-2024)
List of Ombudsman reports taken-down
Hong Kong Ombudsman Reports Archive (OCR-processed)
HK Ombudsman Unofficial Archive (1994-2025)
Safeguarding Freedom of Information in Hong Kong
Our research publication, Safeguarding Freedom of Information in Hong Kong: Challenges, Opportunities and Remedies, systematically outlines how Hong Kong’s information access environment has been significantly constrained since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL) in 2020 and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) in 2024. These measures have severely curtailed press freedom and undermined the ability of civil society to hold the government accountable. They have encouraged the withholding of publicly available data and represent a departure from international human rights standards.
Access to and dissemination of information is increasingly criminalised, resulting in diminished government transparency, suppression of the media, and reduced accessibility to data for businesses. The repercussions are being felt by journalists, the business sector, researchers, and international organisations alike.
We encourage you to share this report with stakeholders in your network and to continue monitoring the authorities’ performance in upholding the freedom to access and disseminate information.
Download the Chinese version of the report here.
Download the English version of the report here.
“Ways of Remembering”
Resilience Innovation Lab collaborated with Hong Kong Action Archives for the exhibition “Ways of Remembering” between 17 and 26 May, 2025.
This exhibition brought together artefacts, personal stories, and collective memories from Hong Kong’s social movements over the past decades. Alongside these, the exhibition shed light on projects that employ archiving as a means of resistance. More than just a look at Hong Kong, this exhibition was an invitation for anyone interested in the act of collecting, remembering, and the ways in which history is written.
The exhibition was successfully documented and appreciated by local and international media outlets, including Nüvoice, The Collective, The Point, Green Bean Media, Radio Free Asia, Tian Jian and Ming Pao.
Useful Resources
Judicial Records in Hong Kong * has made every effort to collect court decisions related to the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement for educational and research purposes. These records are still accessible on the website of Hong Kong’s judiciary, but their continued availability to the public in the future remains uncertain. All judicial records collected and displayed here are secured and maintained using blockchain technology, through which they are decentralized and immutable, ensuring transparency, tamper-resistance, and trust in the integrity of the data. Our goal is to utilize blockchain as a form of censorship resistance to preserve invaluable public records. If there are any omissions in this database, please feel free to notify RIL’s research team: info.dap@protonmail.com .
China Open Courts * aims to preserve and provide public access to judicial records from the People’s Republic of China that are at risk of disappearing from official sources. Below is an overview of the methodology adopted in this project, including our data collection strategies, scope of coverage, and plans for ensuring continued accuracy and relevance of the information. Interested parties are welcome to reach out to our team at chinaopencourts@protonmail.com for further information, collaboration opportunities, or suggestions on additional keywords and topics to include.
*To protect your identity and personal information, you are advised to use these online resources with an encrypted device and VPN.
An Unbreakable Wall? Challenges and Opportunities of Defending Freedom of Information in China is RIL’s first research report on information environment in China. This report provides a comprehensive account of China’s information environment under the rule of the CCP. Drawing on evidence-based insights from multiple perspectives, the report seeks to inform a broad range of stakeholders—from policymakers and international businesses to civil society organisations and academic institutions—and encourages collaborative efforts to address the challenges posed by China’s information landscape and its impact on global information networks. The full report is now available on our website.
Who we are?
Resilience Innovation Lab (RIL) was founded by Asian veteran researchers and human rights defenders in 2023. RIL is a virtual platform promoting innovation, experimentation, and the exchange of research and educational initiatives that aim to develop and strengthen the democratic and digital resilience of organisations and individuals working in repressive environments.
RIL envisions a synergy of democracy, technology and civil society resilience today, especially when authoritarianism emerges as a common threat to liberal democracies and open societies. Building the capacities of citizens and civil groups to respond to such a new environment with creative and innovative instruments is of paramount importance for their sustainable development.
Our work focuses on researching Web3 technology, digital preservation of collective memory and history in conflict and post-conflict areas, and resilience of rule of law institutions and cultures in non-democratic regimes.
Starting from the next issue, our newsletter will be published on a monthly basis. We warmly encourage you to share it within your community and invite others to subscribe!