Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee, on Tuesday, said that he will push Google to display China's national anthem as the top search result for the city's anthem instead of a protest song.
Lee made the comments after the pro-democracy anthem-- Glory to Hong Kong was played at several sporting events including a rugby tournament in South Korea and a powerlifting event in Dubai instead of China's national anthem, March of the Volunteers.
City's security chief Chris Tang, on Monday, said a request for Google to replace the protest anthem with China's national anthem as the top search result had been refused by Alphabet Inc, AP reported. Tang expressed “great regret,” at the decision.
There are ways to do it, it's a matter of whether a company acts responsibly and respect the importance of (a) national anthem in the global context, Lee said in a briefing. He said he would continue to press Google to make that change.
Tang said that Google's search results were generated by an algorithm and no human input was involved. The protest song became popular in 2019 when the city was roiled in pro-democracy protests. However, after the national security law was passed in 2020, it is widely considered banned.
In 1997 when Hong Kong was handed over by the British to China, China pledged to respect the semi-autonomous region's own customs territory and legal system. But over the years, the mainland has expanded its influence over the territory, jailing pro-democracy activists and taking a harsh stance toward protests.
