Takedown requests from authorities have led to increased Facebook censorship for Hong Kong residents, with a significant rise in such actions over the past five years, according to an October 14 report from Radio Free Asia (RFA).
The legislation responsible for this increase is the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, passed in March. It updates the 2020 National Security Law and serves as a means for the Chinese government to exert control over Hong Kong citizens, according to an explainer article published on September 23. Courts in Hong Kong have issued jail sentences under this law. A 27-year-old received a 14-month sentence for wearing a T-shirt and mask with a banned slogan; another defendant was sentenced to 10 months for sedition after writing slogans supporting Hong Kong’s independence. Additionally, one individual was given a 14-month sentence for "knowingly publishing publications with seditious intent" based on social media posts.
According to RFA, restrictions on content increased from 402 in 2019 to 2,181 in 2023. These restrictions affected personal pages, groups, accounts, and individual posts. Facebook blocked Hong Kong residents from viewing content from EduLancet, run by Yeung Wing Yu, following a request from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data. One post identified an officer involved in the Yuen Long police attacks in 2019.
Authorities also attempted to remove content from the "Be Water" publication edited by Sunny Cheung. However, its US service providers resisted these efforts, and as of October 9, its Facebook and Instagram pages remained accessible in Hong Kong.
Radio Free Asia operates under a congressional mandate to provide uncensored domestic news to residents of Tibet, China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, and other Asian countries. It is funded by the US Congress through the US Agency for Global Media.
