The privacy watchdog said on Wednesday it completed an investigation on last April's Companies Registry data leak, which affected nearly 110,000 people.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said there is insufficient evidence to show that the registry contravened Hong Kong’s data protection guidelines.

It launched the probe after the registry discovered that people might be able to see extra personal details, such as ID card numbers, on its e-Search services if they tapped a certain key.

In its report, the PCPD said the risk of “unauthorised or accidental access” to personal data of the affected people is “relatively low”, and that security measures were enhanced when the registry revamped its system.

“The PCPD noted that the additional personal data involved was not directly displayed on the search result pages. Searchers needed to take additional steps or procedures through tools such as web developer tools or [a] robotic search to access the relevant data,” the watchdog said in a statement.

“Furthermore, there is also no evidence to suggest that any additional personal data had been subject to improper access,” it added.

The PCPD also noted that the registry had appointed an independent third party to review the relevant system.