A Hong Kong student has described an anonymous petition circulated by pro-Beijing supporters calling for her expulsion from university as an “intimidation” campaign. Students at City University of Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK. The petition targeted Hailey Cheng, a student at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), who last year blew the whistle on a secondary school student’s award-winning science project, Medisafe. Cheng was arrested in February for doxxing in connection with the same academic integrity scandal.
An anonymous member of a Facebook group for the Hong Kong Programming Society posted the petition on Tuesday, urging “Hong Kong’s vast blue camp” – referring to pro-Beijing supporters in the city – to share it. In an open letter addressed to CityU President Freddy Boey, the petitioners threatened “to escalate” the matter if the university did not expel her.
They said they would lodge complaints with the Liaison Office, deny CityU graduates interview and employment opportunities, and distribute leaflets to inform the public about the university’s handling of the situation.
The Facebook post was removed on Wednesday evening. Hailey Cheng. Photo: Google Developer Group Hong Kong. Writing on Threads on Wednesday, Cheng cast doubt on the legitimacy of the anonymous petition. She said that “in the absence of any verifiable identity or authorisation,” it was questionable and could mislead the public.
It may also raise concerns that the programming group’s platform had been hijacked, she added.
The CityU student also said the petition’s approach was unacceptable, as it amounted to “intimidation and collective punishment,” which “seriously deviated” from rational discussion and the rule of law. “Furthermore, the petition claims to involve a Legislative Council member. If this involves impersonating a public official or the improper use of their name, such conduct may entail legal risks,” Cheng said.
Pointing out that she had not been formally charged following her arrest, she wrote: “Should such conduct interfere with or affect ongoing law enforcement or judicial proceedings, it may also entail legal risks, such as perverting the course of justice.” Unnamed signatories
According to the open letter, the petition was signed by more than 40 chief information officers, 12 university professors, 30 information technology management executives, and one lawmaker.
None of them was named. A screenshot of the now-deleted post. Photo: Hong Kong Programming Society, via Facebook. Cheng “deliberately targeted a secondary school student, employing excessive online bullying with methods that contravened privacy laws to disclose the minor’s personal data, resulting in the student suffering harm,” the petition read.
“Tomorrow, we will meet the National Security Department, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Hong Kong police, and Beijing’s Liaison Office to demand that Hailey Cheng be expelled.”
The petition also called on CityU to conduct its own formal investigation and expedite disciplinary proceedings, adding that demands would be escalated to national security and Beijing authorities if the university did not comply.
In June, Cheng raised concerns that MediSafe – a medication prescription app that won multiple prizes at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 – was not actually made by secondary school student Clarisse Poon.
In August, a US-based software development company called AI Health Studio said it was commissioned by Poon’s mother to build the app. The company said the app was submitted to competitions without its consent.
Renowned liver disease specialist Ronnie Poon and Roberta Pang, the student’s parents, later broke their silence in the same month , saying their daughter would return all the awards associated with MediSafe, according to local media reports .
Pang said she had approached a software company in March 2024 to explore commercialising the app, but insisted it was her daughter who conceptualised it.
While apologising for the controversy, the parents also said their daughter was “on the brink of a breakdown” due to “relentless” cyberbullying.