In response to growing concerns for free speech in the capital, YouTube announced on Wednesday that it would follow a Hong Kong court order to restrict access to films related to a protest music.
Hong Kong’s charm court next year granted the president’s ask for an order against” Glory to Hong Kong”, an anthem that emerged during the state’s 2019 pro- democracy movement.
The impact of the case has been carefully watched, with concerns about how it might affect tech companies and internet platform operators. Hong Kong’s free flow of information has been a topic of conversation abroad.
The court order listed 32 YouTube video that the authorities deemed objectionable, as well as performing and broadcasting the music with criminal intent.
YouTube announced on Wednesday that it would immediately revoke access to those 32 clips from Hong Kong people.
YouTube stated in a speech on Wednesday that” we are disappointed by the Court’s selection but are complieing with its treatment get.”
The decision expressed concern that the decision would have a chilling effect on free appearance electronically around the world.” We’ll continue to consider our choices for an allure, to market access to information,” it said.
According to AFP, all 32 of the YouTube videos listed in the court attempt were made impenetrable from Hong Kong on Wednesday, with some websites declaring that the information was not made available on this land area as a result of a court order.
Hong Kong authorities requested a court order last year after the song was falsely sung as the country’s official anthem at international sporting events rather than China’s” March of the Volunteers.”
Authorities at the time demanded that Google, one of the internet giant, replace the anthem from their research results and video systems, but they were unsuccessful.
Beijing regulators defended the restrictions as a “necessary determine” to safeguard regional security, while the United States has criticized the restrictions as a blow to Hong Kong’s global reputation.
Lokman Tsui, a digital right scholar, previously Google’s head of free expression for Asia and the Pacific, said it was “very unsatisfactory that Google has decided to cooperate with a blatant request for democratic censorship”.
The jury order, according to Cornelius Hanung of the human rights organization FORUM- ASIA, is an “extraordinary measure,” bringing Hong Kong closer to nations “like Myanmar and Laos in terms of freedom of expression, where autocratic institutions impose a blanket approach to ruin right.”
The Hong Kong government has been contacted by AFP for comment.
