YouTube shuts channel of Hong Kong's leadership candidate
Facebook, which said it has to abide by US law, is also preventing John Lee from using its payments services
GOOGLE and Meta Platforms moved on Wednesday (Apr 20) to curtail the social media presence of Hong Kong's sole chief executive candidate, an unusual move to comply with US sanctions that thrust the American Internet giants into the debate over a perceived erosion of freedoms in the city.
YouTube shut down the campaign channel of former policeman John Lee's election campaign channel, citing sanctions Washington imposed on officials allegedly involved in quashing the pro-democracy movement that erupted in 2019. Lee, a staunch supporter of the China-extradition bill that sparked the protests in Hong Kong, was sanctioned in 2020 for his role in curtailing political freedoms under China's national security law.
Facebook, which said it has to abide by US law, is also preventing Lee from using its payments services. "If we identify accounts maintained by or on behalf of people on the US government's list of Specially Designated Nationals, we have a legal obligation to take certain action," the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Alphabet's YouTube has suspended or barred high-profile figures in the past, including former US president Donald Trump, right-wing media personality Alex Jones and convicted sex offender R. Kelly. But it's rare for the world's most popular video platform to ban content from election candidates.
Like other social media platforms, Google and Facebook have come under fire in recent years for their handling of content during elections. YouTube's action provoked an immediate backlash from officials in the city, a semi-autonomous former British colony that returned to China in 1997.
"I'm disappointed that some media have taken action based on the so-called reasons that I was sanctioned," the 64-year-old Lee told reporters on Wednesday. "The unreasonable, so-called sanction that the US government directed at me, for my efforts to maintain national security, is an act of bullying." At least one pro-Beijing lawmaker, Holden Chow, urged the city government to "deal with" the social media platform as the incidence demonstrated "serious interference" by foreign powers in Hong Kong elections. YouTube "flagrantly ignored the integrity of a fair and just election", he said in a statement.
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Yet while the twin moves undermined the Beijing-backed candidate's ability to circulate campaign materials, they're unlikely to affect the outcome. China has drawn widespread criticism for stage-managing the race in Hong Kong: Lee has already surpassed the threshold of support he needs to win, effectively confirming he'll become the city's next leader.
"Google complies with applicable US sanctions laws and enforces related policies under its Terms of Service. After review and consistent with these policies, we terminated the Johnlee2022 YouTube channel," said a spokesman for the company, which is based in California.
The next chief executive will take office on Jul 1, the halfway mark in Beijing's 50-year pledge to preserve the city's liberal financial and political systems, which has already been eroded substantially since the 2019 pro-democracy protests. No chief executive has so far managed to complete 2 full terms, as they struggle to satisfy both China's demand for control and citizens' expectations for greater freedoms. Hong Kong's next leader will also face pressure to restore business confidence, address the city's affordable housing crisis and craft a pandemic policy that both satisfies the international business community and shows loyalty to Beijing's Covid-zero strategy.
Enacting Hong Kong's own security law, Article 23, will be one of his priorities if elected, Lee has said. The bill mandated under the city's mini-constitution bans sedition and the theft of state secrets, but has been on ice since 2003 when it triggered mass street protests. Beijing has effectively quelled dissent by imposing its own national security law on the city in 2020. BLOOMBERG
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