"Hong Kong’s struggles against this bill have been a remarkable lesson in the resilience required to face creeping authoritarianism. Protesters focused on the vital role of taking action to be heard, rather than dwelling on the likely outcome. One protester among the many who were out last Sunday said he was not hopeful the government would listen to them. But he said he had to come out regardless, calling the struggle against the bill the “last fight” for Hong Kong."
Quartz: Hong Kong has pulled off an amazing win against a dire threat to its freedoms, June 15, 2019
But also, as a glimpse into the future:
"“We’re afraid of having our data tracked,” the female protester said. She added that during the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, this kind of ticket-buying in cash wasn’t as prevalent. But five years on, people knew better and were wary.The use of Octopus card data to trace criminal suspects is not new. As early as 2010, police used such data to track down a suspect in an acid-attack case, who was later convicted. Each Octopus card contains a chip that stores its outstanding balance and transaction records, and each card has a serial number for identification. These days, they can even be linked to a credit card to automatically top-up when the balance runs low, making the cards even easier to trace. As police officers put it to the South China Morning Post, the card is like a GPS system because it can locate where and when the holder uses it."
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