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Uber Technologies on Thursday halted a plan to transfer its Asian headquarters to Hong Kong in one other enterprise blow for the Chinese-ruled metropolis, selecting to lengthen its keep in Singapore till not less than December 2022.
The agency’s announcement comes after China enacted a nationwide safety legislation for Hong Kong, which has stirred worries over its future as a hub for worldwide enterprise.
Global tech companies there are involved that the legislation provides the Chinese authorities entry to knowledge and the flexibility to censor content material.
Uber mentioned its resolution to delay the transfer, mooted in May, was based mostly on a scarcity of progress on ridesharing laws. It declined remark on the safety legislation unveiled final month.
Hong Kong doesn’t have any laws enacted solely for regulating ride-hailing apps and it’s unlawful for automobiles that aren’t licensed as taxis, or have a rent automotive allow, to carry passengers for a price.
Uber has been lobbying the federal government for change.
“We have seen strong public support for reform, but not the level of certainty from the government that we need,” Uber mentioned in a press release.
“As we continue those efforts, we have decided to keep Singapore as a regional hub for the medium term.”
The Hong Kong authorities didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Meanwhile, world tech giants with a presence in Hong Kong, comparable to Facebook and Google, are evaluating the influence of the safety legislation that provides China authority to demand that they flip over consumer knowledge or censor content material seen as violating the legislation – even when posted from overseas.
South Korean web big Naver Corp mentioned final week it had moved backup servers storing its customers’ private knowledge from Hong Kong to Singapore.
Uber doesn’t present its providers in Singapore, the place it has about 90 staff.
© Thomson Reuters 2020
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