Hong Kong bans video game in further national security push
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The move marked the first known use of the national security law to block a video game.
PHOTO: REVERSED FRONT/STEAM
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HONG KONG - Hong Kong invoked national security laws to ban a video game for the first time, broadening the use of the set of legislation to fend off perceived threats and requiring internet service providers to comply.
Police in the semiautonomous Chinese city warned residents on June 10 not to download Reversed Front: Bonfire, a Taiwanese-made mobile game they accuse of advocating armed revolution and overthrowing the government in Beijing. The authorities have taken “disabling action on electronic messages” related to the game, according to a government statement.
The move against the app marked the first known use of a 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law and local security legislation passed in 2024 to block a video game. The government previously asked Google to restrict access to a protest song, which the company initially resisted until an appeals court confirmed an injunction order.
Launched in April, the game was not available on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in Hong Kong as at the morning of June 11. Apple and Alphabet’s Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The enforcement is the latest in a series of steps the authorities have taken to bolster their national security safeguards. The government in May implemented new measures to facilitate the work of Beijing’s national security office in the city, citing “increasingly turbulent global geopolitical” risks without providing details.
The app allows players to align themselves with Hong Kong, Tibet or Taiwan, among others, to fight the Communist regime, according to descriptions on the game’s official website. Alternatively, players can choose to lead the Communist forces, whose rule the app describes as “heavy-handed, reckless and inept”.
Residents sharing the game may commit the offence of inciting secession and subversion, and downloading it may be seen as possessing a publication that has a seditious intention, according to the government announcement.
“Those who have downloaded the application should uninstall it immediately and must not attempt to defy the law,” the statement read.
The game’s developer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the implementation rules for the 2020 law, the government may require a platform service provider to take a disabling action on an electronic message if its publication is deemed likely to endanger national security. Service providers failing to comply face a fine of US$100,000 (S$128,600) and imprisonment of up to six months.
The government declined to provide more detail on the enforcement action it has taken in response to a Bloomberg News inquiry. Citing the “paramount importance” of protecting national security, the Security Bureau said that information about such work would not be disclosed unless necessary for the purpose of a case.
The Hong Kong government has signalled a continued emphasis on national security even as it vows to focus on supporting growth, which has been challenged by China’s slowdown and an uncertain external environment.
The 2020 national security law silenced dissent after pro-democracy protests roiled the global financial hub. In 2024, the authorities fast-tracked local laws to further beef up security, triggering fresh warnings from Western governments that the move could muzzle open discussion.
In May, the authorities began requiring operators of premises, including restaurants, swimming pools and funeral parlours, to comply with new national security clauses or risk getting their licences revoked or denied. When asked about this at a regular press briefing on June 10, Chief Executive John Lee said all citizens have a responsibility to protect the Chinese state. Bloomberg
