
Led by the Commissioner for Digital Policy, Tony WONG, Hong Kong’s Digital Policy Office is revolutionizing public services through citizen-centric digital initiatives, enhancing accessibility, security, and collaboration across departments.
As Hong Kong races to cement its status as a global innovation and technology hub, the city’s Digital Policy Office (DPO) is spearheading a sweeping digital transformation across the public sector. Under the leadership of the Commissioner for Digital Policy, Tony Wong, the DPO is driving forward- looking policies and pioneering digital initiatives that are poised to reshape how citizens and businesses interact with the Government.
“The key is to put the citizen at the center of our digital strategy,” explained Wong. “By integrating data and workflows across government departments, we can deliver a much more convenient, personalized experience for the public.”
A Vision for a Smart City
At the heart of this transformation is the vision to make Hong Kong a truly smart city. As Wong emphasized, “Digitization is no longer an option; it’s a matter of life-and-death” for government agencies, just as it is for the private sector. Accordingly, the DPO is taking active steps to transform Hong Kong into a smart city through initiatives aimed at establishing a unified platform that integrates service delivery across government departments, significantly enhancing the citizen experience by minimizing the need for individuals to provide the same information to multiple agencies.
Wong explained that by integrating data from various departments, processes will be streamlined, and user experiences will be enhanced through the implementation of a consent-based data exchange gateway, allowing citizens to manage and share their personal data seamlessly.
One shining example of this is the launch of the Government’s award- winning iAM Smart platform. “With just a tap, citizens can now manage everything from license renewals to bill payments, without the hassle of remembering multiple passwords or physically visiting government offices,” Wong proudly stated.
However, the DPO’s ambition stretches far beyond streamlining routine transactions. The office is also leveraging the power of emerging technologies to enhance core government operations. “We don’t see digitization as merely automating existing processes,” Wong explained. “It’s about fundamentally rethinking how the public sector can better serve the needs of citizens and businesses through technology.”
Strengthening Cybersecurity
On the agenda are several other initiatives that are continuously being developed. These include bolstering cybersecurity, where the DPO conducts proactive security spot checks on public-facing government systems and orchestrates large-scale attack and defense drills to identify vulnerabilities and enhance incident response. Through these efforts, the DPO is fortifying the defenses of critical public services against evolving digital threats.
“We appoint reputable cyber security experts and also engage academia to simulate real-life attack situations,” Wong explained. “We have both red teams and blue teams to gain valuable experience and knowledge that enhance detection skills and incident handling.”
Meanwhile, the DPO’s open data initiatives are fueling a new era of data-driven innovation. “We don’t charge companies or individuals for its use and preparation. People can just use it,” Wong explained. “Ultimately, as economic activity increases, the Government benefits from taxes, and the overall positive impact on the economy.”
Bridging the Digital Divide
This people-centric approach extends to the DPO’s efforts to bridge the digital divide. While Hong Kong’s digital transformation holds immense promise, the DPO is keenly aware of the need to ensure that no one is left behind.
“We understand that not all residents may be tech-savvy, in particular the elderly,” Wong said. “Since digitization is no longer an option, we need to ensure that the elderly can access these digital services.”
To that end, the DPO has rolled out a comprehensive inclusion program, allocating $100 million over three years to provide targeted support. “We are partnering with our district communities to implement digital inclusion programs for the elderly,” Wong cited as one example. “The programs offer district-based training and help desks to assist those who need to acquire basic digital skills.”
This multi-pronged approach includes hands-on training sessions as well as easily accessible community-based support. Additionally, the DPO’s commitment to digital inclusivity extends beyond the elderly. “We have had accessibility programs for many years to ensure all government websites and mobile apps are accessible to different communities, such as the visually impaired,” Wong added.
By proactively addressing the digital divide, the DPO is ensuring that Hong Kong’s smart city transformation truly benefits all residents, regardless of their technological proficiency. As Wong stated: “It’s about providing people with choices, not just digital services. We still offer counter services, but they will focus more on those communities in need to provide more intensive support.”
Overcoming Challenges
Wong acknowledged that while this journey sounds straightforward, there will be different challenges in transforming Hong Kong into a smart city. Nevertheless, this has never deterred the DPO from working to achieve its objectives. The DPO will continue to promote open data and data-driven innovation by expanding the open data portal, which currently has over 5,400 data sets and more than 2,200 Application Programming Interfaces available.
They will also partner with universities, startups and the private sector to organize events such as hackathons and competitions to drive innovative uses of open data. Collaboration with mainland regions, such as Guangdong and Shanghai, will also be expanded to promote data literacy and cross-border innovation.

A Clear Vision for the Future
As Hong Kong continues its digital transformation, the Government's vision is clear. Wong stated, “Digitization can enhance government efficiency and provide more convenient and user-friendly public services. It is also conducive to social and economic development.”
To further leverage emerging technologies, the Government plans to take the lead in adopting advanced technology like AI and support AI-related infrastructure development, including the setup of the AI Supercomputing Centre to meet the demand of research institutes and the industry for advanced computing power.
By harnessing the power of AI, the Government aims to drive “data driven, people-centric, and outcome- based digital policy to bring greater benefits to citizens and the general public” ,Wong said. Through intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and enhanced service delivery, Hong Kong is poised to deliver a truly digitized, citizen-centric public sector that meets the evolving needs of its citizens.
