The government of Hong Kong has requested a court to ban the public performance and online sharing of “Glory to Hong Kong,” an anthem that emerged as the unofficial song of pro-democracy demonstrators in 2019. The move is believed to be the first legal test of how much control the Hong Kong government can exercise over online content. According to the government, the song has caused “serious damage to the country” and to Hong Kong, as it has been used to “insult” the Chinese national anthem. The song has previously been banned from schools and the Hong Kong authorities have criticized Google for displaying the protest song under search results for Hong Kong’s national anthem. If granted, the court injunction would likely make content moderation more challenging and expensive for US tech companies, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The government of Hong Kong has cited its national security law, enacted in 2020, as the legal basis for the ban. Critics of the law argue that it could be used to police conduct even outside Hong Kong.
