In Hong Kong, a city that is adapting to life under a Beijing-imposed national security law and introducing its own version of it, global companies are bringing in practical barriers to doing business.
The US law firm Latham & Watkins is cutting its lawyers off from international databases. Deloitte and KPMG are asking staff to take burner phones when they visit. Though the firms have not said explicitly why they have done this, several other global companies are discussing whether to take similar measures.
These moves sometimes seem like overkill to affected staff, and to rival companies. Frustrated consultants say it has not been made clear why they can’t use their devices, noting that systems can be hacked from anywhere and that rival Big Four companies don’t take the same approach. Lawyers at other international firms say they do not take the Latham & Watkins approach, and have no plans to.