Journalists in Hong Kong will have to go through an "exceptional channel" if they want to apply for access to vehicle records on a government registry, authorities announced on Friday.

Transport commissioner Angela Lee said starting next Monday, journalists must provide information, such as the purpose of accessing vehicle records, to demonstrate that their news reports are in the public interest.

"Applicants will have to submit a written submission to the Commissioner for Transport, setting out various information, like the purpose of the information that will be used, how the information obtained will be released, and what are the targets of the release,” she said.

Lee explained that this new arrangement is intended to safeguard the privacy of car owners, who will receive an email notification if their personal data is accessed.

The chairman of the Legislative Council's transport panel, Ben Chan, called on the authorities to provide clear guidelines for journalists applying for access to vehicle records.

"As journalists often have to work under tight deadlines, the new arrangement can cause inconvenience. Therefore, we hope that the Transport Department can offer clear instructions on how to apply," the DAB lawmaker said.

"The authorities should respond to journalists' requests within a reasonable time frame. They should also provide contact information for reporters to follow up."

The government's announcement came more than half a year after former RTHK journalist Bao Choy won her appeal against a conviction related to a documentary on the Yuen Long attack in 2019.

Choy was fined HK$6,000 in 2021 after being convicted of making false statements to obtain vehicle ownership records as part of a search for the perpetrators of the violence.

She had classified her search under the category of "other traffic and transport-related matters" in her application to access the public license plate database.

While two lower courts had ruled that Choy's declaration was false, the Court of Final Appeal decided that her use of the database did indeed fall within the category she had selected.