Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube said on Tuesday it would block access in Hong Kong to 32 video links deemed prohibited content following a court ruling, a move that comes amid a security crackdown on freedom in the financial hub. Critics argue that it is a blow to the government.
The case follows the Hong Kong Court of Appeal’s approval of the government’s application to ban a protest anthem called “Glory to Hong Kong.” The judges warned that the song could be weaponized against the state by dissidents seeking to incite secession.
A spokesperson for Mountain View, Calif.-based Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube said the geo-blocking of videos would take effect immediately for viewers in Hong Kong.
YouTube said its systems will process the changes and eventually links to videos will no longer appear in Google searches in Hong Kong. When he tried to watch the song on YouTube from Hong Kong, he was greeted with a message that read, “Due to court order, this content is not available on this country’s domain.”
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said it was necessary to prevent the song from spreading to protect Hong Kong’s national security.
In a comment criticizing the court order, YouTube said the ruling would raise skepticism about the Hong Kong government’s efforts to promote the digital economy and restore Hong Kong’s reputation as a predictable place to do business.
“While we are disappointed in the court’s decision, we are complying with the takedown order,” YouTube said in a statement, citing concerns from human rights groups that banning content could chill free expression online. He said he shared it. “We will continue to explore appeal options to facilitate access to information.”
Some parties, including the U.S. government, say the ban will further damage Hong Kong’s international reputation as a financial hub and raise concerns about the erosion of freedoms and efforts to free information flow. be.
“From an internet freedom and free speech perspective, this is not a desirable situation,” said George Chen, co-chair of the digital practice at Asia Group, a Washington, D.C.-based business policy consulting firm. He is also the former head of public policy for Greater China at Meta.
“The question is how far and how aggressively the government is willing to go,” Chen added. “If you start submitting 100 or 1,000 links to the platform for takedown every day, this will derail the platform and also make global investors more worried about the free market environment in Hong Kong. The degree of predictability and stability is very important to foreign investors, and Hong Kong is currently at a crossroads in protecting its reputation.
Industry groups including the Asian Internet Coalition, which represents major tech companies such as Meta, Apple and Google, say maintaining Hong Kong’s free and open internet is “foundational” to maintaining the city’s dominance. He said there is.
The Hong Kong government did not respond to requests for comment.
The move is not the first in the world for the U.S. tech industry and Google’s parent company Alphabet, which restricts items when legally required to do so. Content was also removed in China. In 2010, Google removed its search engine from mainland China, where his YouTube was unavailable.
Hong Kong does not have an official national anthem. “Glory to Hong Kong” was written during widespread pro-democracy protests in 2019 and has become China’s unofficial national anthem, replacing the Volunteer March.
In recent years, Hong Kong authorities have been sanctioned by the U.S. government for a widespread crackdown on national security dissent, which has jailed many opposition Democratic Party members and shut down liberal media and civil society organizations. A situation arose.
The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with guarantees that freedoms would be maintained under the “one country, two systems” policy.
