(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong called Google’s rejection of its 2022 request to bury a popular protest song from search results “unbelievable.” Now armed with an injunction, authorities are putting legal pressure on the tech company to remove it from the city’s internet.
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The Court of Appeal on Wednesday approved the government’s request for an injunction to prevent anyone from playing Glory to Hong Kong with seditious intent. Although the city has a new security law to punish the crime, the ruling shifted responsibility to the platforms, adding a new danger: Simply hosting the track could expose the companies to legal risk.
In granting the injunction, the judges said prosecuting individual offenders was not enough to tackle “acute criminal problems”.
“The injunction was necessary to persuade IPOs to remove problematic videos related to the song from their platforms,” they wrote, referring to internet platform operators.
The injunction “puts Google, media platforms and other social media companies in a difficult position: essentially pitting values like free speech against legal obligations,” said Ryan Neelam, program director at the Lowy Institute and former Australian diplomat in Hong Kong. and Macau. “This would strengthen the broader deterrent effect if foreign tech majors comply.” »
Google’s decision will be a historic test for the city’s internet freedoms. Any removal would set a precedent and fuel fears that China’s censorship controls could creep into Hong Kong. Unlike mainland China, the former British colony does not block foreign social media platforms or search engines.
A Google representative declined a request for comment. The Hong Kong government did not respond to a request for comment.
If the Silicon Valley giant fails to comply, it faces sanctions, including a fine and further criticism from the government. The US internet giant has between 500 and 600 employees in Hong Kong, Bloomberg previously reported, with the bulk of operations focused on ad sales and marketing. If the company were to exit, it would have to reorganize its business operations in Asia, which could include moving some employees to other countries.
Google’s loss could set back the city’s renewed efforts to boost its image as a global business hub, after years of Covid restrictions and a security law imposed by Beijing that have dented sentiment.
The U.S. government and human rights groups have sounded the alarm over the ruling’s impact on the city’s reputation as a financial center. The free flow of information remains key to Hong Kong’s appeal to global businesses, an asset praised by Chief Executive John Lee at a summit this week aimed at attracting international talent.
The ruling included 32 links to the song on Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube and content listed on search engines including Google, Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing. The majority…
