YouTube blocks Hong Kong protest anthem after court order
CNN
YouTube has blocked access to a popular protest song, a week after a Hong Kong court granted the city government’s request to ban the anthem.
YouTube has blocked access to a popular protest song in Hong Kong, a week after a court in the city granted a government request to ban the anthem. In a statement on Wednesday, YouTube said 32 web links playing “Glory to Hong Kong” have been geoblocked and are now unavailable in the semi autonomous Chinese city following a court order. Attempts to access the videos, which include instrumental and sign language versions of the song, from Hong Kong yielded messages such as “This content is not available on this country domain due to a court order” or “This video isn’t available anymore.” “We are disappointed by the Court’s decision but are complying with its removal order by blocking access to the listed videos for viewers in Hong Kong. We’ll continue to consider our options for an appeal, to promote access to information,” a YouTube spokesperson said in an emailed reply to CNN. Google (GOOGL), which owns Youtube, told CNN in an emailed reply last week that “it is reviewing the court’s judgment.” CNN has also reached out to Meta (META) — which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram — and Spotify (SPOT).