Deloitte and KPMG encourage use of burner phones in Hong Kong

Half of Big Four encourages use of burner phones in Hong Kong

Some of the Big Four firms are advising its executives not to use their usual work phones when they travel to Hong Kong.

According to the Financial Times, Deloitte and KPMG have asked some US-based staff to use burner phones when they visit this territory.

The policy has caused staff to be reluctant to visit Hong Kong due to the inconvenience of leaving devices behind.

Back in 2020, the Chinese parliament passed national security legislation for Hong Kong. The law came into force on 30 June 2020, just before the 23rd anniversary of the city’s handover to China from British rule. This move came after highly publicised 2019–2020 pro-democracy protests that gripped the region.

Only half of the Big Four are reported to have this policy in place as PwC spokesperson told the FT it did not have such a policy. While EY declined to comment, an executive told the FT said they were unaware of any such policy.

This comes after job cuts and pay freezes across the Big Four firms, with the latest announcement from KPMG that it will freezes the pay of 12,000 staff.

Deloitte and KPMG were contacted for comment.