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Hong Kong’s John Lee urges Google to be ‘responsible’ and alter national anthem search results to make ‘March of the Volunteers’ top the list

  • Lee promises to contact tech giant again after he rejects Google’s claims it could do little because of search algorithms
  • But Lee insists a ‘responsible’ company would respect the importance of the national anthem and Hong Kong people

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Hong Kong leader John Lee renews pressure on Google over national anthem search results. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has said a way must exist for a “responsible” Google to fix searches so people who sought out the national anthem would get the correct “March of the Volunteers” in the top results.

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Lee on Tuesday added the government would contact the tech giant again over the problem after he rejected Google’s claims there was little it could do to comply with the government’s request as results were based on algorithms used.

But one technology expert told the Post that legal action could force a better response from Google.

Francis Fong says the government could take legal action against Google to force a change in national anthem ranking on searches. Photo: May Tse
Francis Fong says the government could take legal action against Google to force a change in national anthem ranking on searches. Photo: May Tse

The move came after a series of blunders at international sports events where a song linked to the 2019 anti-government protests, “Glory to Hong Kong”, was played instead of “March of the Volunteers”.

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