Explainer | DSE test leak: why sharing Hong Kong exam content online is illegal
- Police arrest woman surnamed Lau, 23, after English-language listening test content leaked on social media platform Xiaohongshu
- Post dives into why it is illegal to share test content online and other hiccups facing DSE exams held this year
A social media post revealing Hong Kong exam content has landed an invigilator in possible legal hot water, sending a warning to educators and students alike to think carefully before sharing such information publicly.
The 23-year-old woman, identified only by the surname Lau, was arrested on suspicion of violating the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) Ordinance, police said.
While past DSE exam content has been widely used for teaching purposes, the Post dives into why it is illegal to share test content online.
What happened?
Hong Kong’s examination authority made a complaint to police after a user of popular Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu was alleged to have uploaded the question and answer book for this year’s English-language listening test.
The authority said preliminary evidence suggested that the person leaked the information after the related subject exams had finished.
A source told the Post the arrested woman was one of the invigilators for the DSE exams, and also worked as a teaching assistant at a secondary school.
The Xiaohongshu account stated the user was an educator at a secondary school and taught online tutorial classes for students newly arrived from mainland China.
The insider added that it could not be ruled out that the woman committed the crime to benefit her own tutorial businesses.
