The government says it is working on search engine optimization (SEO) of its official website after a protest song was played at a sporting event instead of the national anthem because Google search results were “incorrect”. In response to lawmakers’ questions on Wednesday, officials urged citizens to visit government websites for “accurate information.”
Pro-Beijing legislative councilor Eunice Yun said new measures the government is discussing to ensure Google’s search engine displays the “correct anthem” and that the government has asked the tech giant to “update its algorithm”. Asked whether to request
The lawmaker’s question came after a series of mishaps in which the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” was played at sporting event awards ceremonies instead of China’s national anthem.
The city’s national anthem is a march for volunteers, but staff reportedly played the top-listed song after searching for “Hong Kong national anthem” online.
The city’s security chief said last month that Google has rejected a government request to manipulate search results so that the correct songs appear at the top.
Innovation, Technology and Industry Director Song Dong has sent a letter to Google asking the company to “remove incorrect information from search results” following an earlier refusal, the government responded in writing to Jung on Wednesday. bottom.
Search ranking
The government also said it was working on website SEO to improve the ranking of official web pages in search results.
“Nevertheless, search engine algorithms typically rank results based on relevance. [search] We should weigh phrases, websites and search volumes over the authenticity and credibility of individual websites,” the government’s response said. “We recommend that you refer to government websites for accurate information.”
After the first incident in which the Chinese national anthem was played incorrectly, the sports federations and the Hong Kong Olympic Committee said that if the Chinese national anthem was not played correctly, athletes could use the “time out” gesture to stop the organizers of sporting events. issued new guidelines that stipulate that the Played properly.
Google’s CEO John Lee said last month that the company would remove content for legal reasons, so the company has a “legal basis” for removing inaccurate search results. said.
Playing another song instead of the Volunteer March song is considered a crime in the city because it “constitutes an insult,” Lee said.
The City National Anthem Act, which makes it a crime to insult the national anthem, was enacted on June 4, 2020.
“The government will follow up to see if anyone has violated the National Anthem Act or other Hong Kong laws. rice field.
The Hong Kong government said the glory of Hong Kong “is closely linked to the violent protests and ‘independence’ movement of 2019.” The protest attracted a handful of independence activists, but it was not one of the movement’s demands.
Authorities have refused to say if the song is illegal, but it was banned in schools and police intervened when it was performed in public.
When HKFP used incognito browsing on Tuesday night to search for ‘Hong Kong national anthem’ in English, the Glory to Hong Kong Wikipedia page came up higher than the marching song of the Chinese militias.
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