After several failed attempts to get Google to stop referring people to the protest song when they search for the Hong Kong national anthem, the Special Administrative Region of China has decided to take matters into its own hands by improving its search engine optimization.
The song that comes up as the top answer on Google searches for Hong Kong’s national anthem is “Glory to Hong Kong” – a Cantonese song released in August 2019 during protests against a law allowing Hong Kong residents to be extradited to China. The song advocates independence from China and is often sung at demonstrations alongside the revolution-themed classic “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Misérables.
The song’s first place on Google means that organizers have mistakenly replaced it as the official song at several world sporting events.
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Professor Sun Dong said on Wednesday that he had met with Google on the issue in November 2022.
“During the meeting, we clearly expressed that the incorrect information derived from some Internet searches would not only provide an excuse for the misdeeds of some people with ulterior motives, but would also mislead local and foreign Internet users, causing serious harm to our country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Kong (HKSAR),” Sun said. He added that the government had asked Google to remove incorrect information from search results and rank the Chinese national anthem as the top answer to the query.
Hong Kong does not have a separate official anthem because it is considered part of China.
Google rejected the request, stating that its search results are based on fully automated algorithms. The Company only removes content deemed illegal.
“We believe that all Internet search engine service providers must bear their corporate responsibility to provide accurate online content to their service users. Google has an undeniable responsibility to correct inaccurate information from search results,” Sun said.
He said his office met again with Google regarding the matter and that both parties “agreed to continuously maintain communication and identify the proper way to resolve the issue, with the goal of ensuring that accurate information about the national anthem is provided to their users service by a search engine.”
The secretary said the territory’s government monitors search results for Hong Kong symbols and “optimizes the content of relevant government websites on the national anthem from a technical perspective to improve the website’s ranking in search results.”
Other measures such as public education through broadcasting and other promotional patriotic activities, often aimed at youth, were implemented to advertise the use of the Chinese national anthem in Hong Kong. ®