The Hong Kong government’s renewed concern over the song comes after at least two instances where it was used incorrectly to represent Hong Kong athletes in sporting matches.
The Hong Kong authorities responded furiously to the song’s performance at international sporting events. Security Minister Chris Tang stated Monday that the government would use “By all means to rectify the situation.“
John Lee, the leader of Hong Kong, stated Tuesday that the government would continue to correspond and follow up with Google and that it was possible to rearrange search results across advertisements and remove items that violate the law.
He told me that no matter what its legal status, the national anthem is a symbol of the dignity and feelings of any country. It’s a moral issue. It should be taken seriously by any responsible institution.
Since 1997, Hong Kong was handed over from British rule to Beijing. The official anthem of Hong Kong is the same as the one for China: “March of the Volunteers”.
However, during the 2019 protests, protesters promoted the pro-democracy song, “Glory to Hong Kong,” which has come to be widely considered the movement’s “anthem” — apparently confusing Google’s search algorithms.
Millions participated in peaceful demonstrations However, the extradition bill was opposed that year. Violence escalated amid harsh police responseThe Changing the goals of the protestersIn 2020, Beijing witnessed the imposition of a law of national security that was used to suppress freedoms such as expression and protest.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment but confirmed that Google does not manipulate the organic search results’ ranking, which is determined by algorithms. According to Google, it removes content that violates its policies and is illegal in different jurisdictions.
The Wikipedia page for Glory to Hong Kong is the top English search for “Hong Kong national anthem”, and it has text that says “Hong Kong national anthem”. Next is the Wikipedia entry for March of the Volunteers. The video contains clips from a pro democracy song on YouTube.
A Hong Kong lawmaker protested Google Hong Kong’s office by sending a letter to the reception, stating that Google was a big company and had a “responsibility,” to delete “a song about Hong Kong independence.”
Other members of Hong Kong’s pro Beijing legislature have also raised concerns about the incident and called on the government for regular checks of search results and reports to service providers to remove “inaccurate data concerning national sovereignty”.
Anger at a multinational tech company is not limited to Hong Kong. There, access to information online is relatively free and accessible from anywhere in the world, unlike on the mainland. This is why multinationals love Hong Kong.
Two weeks ago, in Dubai, the pro-democracy song played. It was then cut short by the Hong Kong weightlifting medalist who alerted organizers.
An instrumental version was played in its entirety at an International Rugby Match in November that involved the Hong Kong National Team in Incheon (South Korea).
The Hong Kong authorities immediately launched an investigation. The chief Secretary summoned the South Korean consul and told him that the government “expresses deep regret and opposition over the incident”. He also requested an investigation.
Police arrested a 49 year-old man for sharing footage of South Korean incident and for thanking Incheon for “recognizing Hong Kong’s national anthem”.
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