O Googleis facing a delicate situation in Hong Kong. According to the company, local authorities are trying to censor a popular pro-democracy anthem.
This high-stakes dispute raises speculation that the Search Giant could completely shut down its operations in the Asian city-state.
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The Justice Department of Hong Kong is seeking a court order to ban internet companies, including Google, from broadcasting or distributing the protest song entitled "Glory to Hong Kong". In addition, the government is asking for the removal of 32 YouTube videos featuring the anthem.
In 2020, the government of China, the country that controls Hong Kong indirectly, passed a security law national law that granted broad powers to the Chinese Communist Party to suppress any form of protest.
In this context, the situation with Google is considered a highly aggressive attempt to censor political content on US-run technology platforms.
Xiaomeng Lu, head of Eurasia Group's geotechnology practice, says it's "very likely" that Google will pull out of Hong Kong in the near future.
She argues that the legal dispute between the parties is following the same pattern that led the search engine to leave mainland China in 2010.
The Hong Kong High Court has scheduled a hearing for July 21 to consider the government's request. If granted, it would weaken Google's position in the city, where pro-Beijing officials have criticized the company for allowing "Glory to Hong Kong" to appear as a search result.
Many consider that this action could pave the way for similar measures against other US technology companies. USA, aiming to censor its content. This could increase tension between the two countries, which have long-standing disagreements.
Hong Kong officials argue that the lyrics of "Glory to Hong Kong" advocate "secession". Google responded by stating that it does not manually control search results and will not remove results from the web unless there are specific reasons outlined in its global policy.
Some experts argue that Hong Kong is too valuable a market for Google's Asian operations to be abandoned like this. However, the company has shown signs of hesitation to operate in the region, possibly worried about violating national security law.
In addition to Google, other Western companies face censorship pressures in Hong Kong. Recently, popular versions of "Glory to Hong Kong" disappeared from the charts on Apple's iTunes and became inaccessible on Facebook and Instagram. A musicit was also briefly removed from the Spotify platform.
So far, Google, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are still available in Hong Kong, but there are many uncertainties about the future of networks in the region.
