Hong Kong – The Hong Kong government has reiterated its preference for industry self-regulation and targeted enforcement measures to manage unsolicited marketing calls, while pledging to monitor the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in telemarketing activities.
The position was outlined by Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau in a written reply to a question raised in the Legislative Council regarding the increasing volume of reported marketing calls and the emergence of AI-generated voice calls.
The issue was raised by Dr the Hon Thomas So, who cited data from an unsolicited call reporting platform showing that reported marketing calls rose to 466,000 in 2025 from 241,000 in 2023. Calls promoting financial loans and banking investments accounted for much of the increase, while estate-related calls doubled and those promoting body check services surged tenfold.
Yau said the government recognises public concerns over unsolicited marketing calls but stressed that businesses continue to have legitimate operational needs for voice-based customer engagement.
“Under the overarching principle of balancing the practical needs of enterprises’ business operation and minimising nuisance caused to the public by marketing calls, and considering that enterprises are undergoing transformation amid the prevailing economic environment, the Government believes that the more pragmatic approach in managing marketing calls is to promote industry self-regulation,” he said.
According to Yau, approaches to regulating marketing calls vary globally, ranging from unrestricted practices to industry-led codes and legislative controls. He noted that legislative regulation often presents challenges, including identifying unlawful calls, gathering evidence, and enforcing rules across jurisdictions.
The government highlighted several measures currently in place to address nuisance calls. These include the Industry Regulatory Scheme for Marketing Calls, which now covers 12 industry associations across sectors such as finance, insurance, telecommunications, estate agencies, beauty services, and money lending.
Under the scheme, participating industries are required to follow codes of practice that include identifying callers upon request and limiting the number of calls made to the same recipient within a specified period.
Yau said the initiative has helped reduce complaints and enquiries received by authorities.
“Since the relevant industry associations issued their sector-specific codes of practice in 2011, the number of enquiries and complaints related to marketing calls received by the Government has significantly reduced from around 2,000 cases in 2012 to around 270 cases in 2025,” he said.
Alongside industry measures, telecommunications service providers have been encouraged to offer call-management and call-filtering tools that allow users to block unwanted or suspicious calls. The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) said it has also undertaken public education efforts, organising 366 outreach activities between January 2023 and May 2026.
The government also addressed concerns about AI-generated telemarketing, particularly as some Mainland Chinese technology providers have begun promoting AI systems capable of making large volumes of calls.
Yau clarified that fully automated AI-generated voice messages are already regulated under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance (UEMO) if they do not involve person-to-person interaction.
“Regardless if they are pre-recorded using human or AI-generated voices, all of them are currently regulated under the UEMO, unless they involve person-to-person interactive communication,” he said.
According to government data, reports involving AI-generated marketing calls remain limited. Of the 831 reports alleging violations of the UEMO received in 2025, only 10 involved claims that AI-generated voices were used in pre-recorded messages.
In response to the growing prevalence of such calls originating from the Mainland, OFCA said it engaged with relevant Mainland authorities earlier this year to communicate Hong Kong’s regulatory requirements and strengthen cooperation on unsolicited electronic messages.
Separately, Yau noted that telecommunications service providers are required to monitor networks for suspicious calling and messaging activities under a code of practice issued by the Communications Authority. Services linked to unusual patterns, such as large volumes of calls or messages within a short period, can be suspended regardless of whether AI technologies are involved.
As of the end of May 2026, more than 1.59 million local telephone numbers had been suspended under these measures.
The government also responded to concerns regarding the use of personal data for direct marketing. Referring to practices commonly described as “bundled consent”, where customers may find it difficult to opt out of marketing-related data use when signing up for services, Yau said existing guidance issued by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data already advises organisations to separate service-related consent from consent for direct marketing activities.
While OFCA said it has not received complaints involving telecommunications service providers obtaining bundled consent from customers, the authority said it would follow up on any concerns raised by members of the public.
