Hong Kong security chief accuses Google of ‘double standards’ for refusing to correct national anthem search results
- Secretary for Security Chris Tang says tech giant cited search engine algorithm in explaining why it could not alter results for Hong Kong and national anthem
- Tang notes ruling by European Union’s Court of Justice, which found Google must delete search results about bloc’s residents if they can prove information is false
Hong Kong’s security minister has accused Google of “double standards” after the tech giant rejected the government’s request to ensure the Chinese national anthem appears as a top search result for certain keywords after a series of mix-ups involving the songs overseas.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Monday said the company cited the algorithm used to order its search results in explaining why it could not comply with the government’s request.
“Google claimed it could not accede to our request because [the search results are determined by] algorithm and it cannot do anything with it,” he said. “But it has been widely known that anyone who wants their information to be seen by more people could spend money on adverts to get their posts promoted. The claim by Google that its hands are tied is incomprehensible and I am sure Hongkongers would find it unacceptable.”
Two weeks ago the government said it had asked the company to prevent misleading search engine results from displaying at the top when keywords such as “Hong Kong” and “national anthem” were entered.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki last month said authorities were in talks with Google after “Glory to Hong Kong”, a song associated with the 2019 anti-government protests, was played instead of the Chinese national anthem, “March of the Volunteers”, at a rugby match in Incheon, South Korea on November 13.