A 'responsible' Google Would Fix Search Results: CE

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said there must be ways for Google to ensure a search for Hong Kong's national anthem flags up nothing but

, adding that it would make the changes necessary if it were a responsible company.

Lee said the SAR government would again contact the tech giant over the issue, after rejecting its explanation that search results are based solely on the algorithm used.

“We will send our letters to Google again to pursue this matter,” he said ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting. 

“There are ways to do it. It is a matter of whether a company acts responsibly and respects the importance of the national anthem in the global context.” 

Lee also pointed to when the tech giant had complied with an earlier court ruling in Europe and removed a person’s private data. 

The CE reiterated that the SAR government takes any incorrect playing of the national anthem “very seriously”.

“The national anthem represents a country, it represents the people, it represents dignity. Any responsible organisation should act in such a way to ensure that the national anthem is played correctly,” he said.

“I think that’s a universal principle. If any company is in any way responsible, it has the moral obligation [to do so].”

His comments came a day after security chief Chris Tang vowed to use whatever means possible to "correct" Google’s search results, saying the current situation is hurting the feelings of the Hong Kong people.

After one of a number of anthem mix-ups at recent international sporting events, officials said a song related to the 2019 protests in Hong Kong had been downloaded from the internet and played instead of the Chinese national anthem.