hKp

HKP is an initialism with several unrelated meanings, depending on context. There is no single, universally accepted definition for HKP.

Common uses

- Hong Kong Police (informal shorthand). The official name of Hong Kong’s law enforcement body since 2020 is the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). In historical or informal contexts, HKP may appear as a shortened reference to the police, particularly in older texts from the colonial era (often alongside RHKP for Royal Hong Kong Police).

- HTTP Keyserver Protocol (HKP). In cryptography and OpenPGP practice, HKP refers to the HTTP Keyserver Protocol, used by public-key servers to fetch and search for OpenPGP keys over HTTP. HKP enables key lookups by email address, key ID, or fingerprint and is associated with networks such as SKS keyservers.

Other uses

Because HKP is a non-unique acronym, it can denote various organizations or programs in local or specialized contexts. When encountered, it is important to use contextual clues to identify the intended meaning, such as the domain (law enforcement, networking/cryptography) or accompanying full name.

Disambiguation tips

- In a law-enforcement or regional setting, HKP often points to the Hong Kong Police (though HKPF is the current formal designation).

- In computing or cryptography discussions, HKP most likely means HTTP Keyserver Protocol.

If uncertainty remains, seek the full form or additional context to clarify which HKP is being referenced.