Paul Lam confirms no social media ban under Article 23 legislation

The government absolutely has no thoughts about banning any social media platforms, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said, after results of the Article 23 public consultation were disclosed on Wednesday. 

Speaking in the Legislative Council meeting, Lam said the government aims to target certain people who intentionally abuse these platforms to spread speech that can endanger Hong Kong and China. 

“I can say categorically that we have absolutely no intention to ban any social media,” Lam said. 

He stressed that the government won’t target the platforms themselves, adding that Hong Kong enjoys free flow of information and freedom of speech as an international city and these advantages should also be protected in the premise of national security. 

He pointed out that such false claims were spread by certain people who wished society to turn chaotic and said: “You know it doesn’t make sense once you hear it.” 

Lam remarks came after Executive Council convener Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee cited a Bloomberg report which mistakenly treated the suggested ban on messaging apps Signal and Telegram from the public as the government’s own views. 

Ip noted that Telegram remained a crucial communication platform during the unrest in 2019 and said many overseas influencers advocated anti-China content on YouTube. 

She called on the government to confront and condemn Bloomberg for causing panic, while Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said he believes Hongkongers are smart enough to tell from fake news. 

The government recently concluded a month-long consultation on the Article 23 legislation designed to target new offenses, which is separate from an existing national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 following citywide democracy protests. 

Officials published a document listing some of the input from the public under the heading summary of views, which included the suggestion that “websites such as Facebook and YouTube should be removed from the Hong Kong market.” 

Other suggestions collected during the consultation included mandating people staying in Hong Kong as temporary or permanent residents to declare they love Hong Kong and China and recovering public housing flats from people who breach the national security law. 

The government is expected to introduce a draft bill as early as next week.

(Staff reporter and AFP)

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