Hong Kong Police Warn Against Downloading Mobile Game Deemed Threat to National Security
In a recent move, Hong Kong police have warned residents against downloading and using a mobile game that allegedly advocates for “armed revolution” and the overthrow of the Chinese government. The game, titled Reversed Front: Bonfire, has been deemed a threat to national security, and authorities have cautioned that anyone who downloads or uses the app, or makes in-app purchases, would be violating the city’s controversial national security law.
According to a statement released by the Hong Kong police, the mobile game intentionally provokes hatred towards central authorities and the Hong Kong government. The game’s publisher, ESC Taiwan, allows players to “pledge allegiance to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, Kazakhs, Uyghur, Manchuria or the Rebel Alliance of Cathaysian and Southeast Asia to overthrow the Communist regime,” or alternatively, “choose to lead the Communists to defeat all enemies, and resume the century-long march of the Communist revolution.” The game’s website claims that it is a work of nonfiction and that any similarity to actual agencies, policies, or ethnic groups of the People’s Republic of China is intentional.
The crackdown on the gaming app and its users is the latest in a series of measures that democracy and human rights advocates say are eroding Hong Kong’s civil rights and freedoms since Beijing implemented a sweeping national security law on the city in 2020. Hong Kong beefed up the law last year, passing legislation that toughened punishment for dissent, including life in prison for acts considered insurrectionist.
As reported by NPR, Hong Kong residents or companies who knowingly publish the gaming app, share it, or recommend it to others may be seen as inciting secession and subversion, authorities warned. The company’s Instagram page responded to the warning by posting a screenshot of a local TV news report about the game being labeled a national security violation, and thanked the broadcaster for introducing the game to all of Hong Kong.
Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch, told NPR that Hong Kong has been at the top of the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda for repression in recent years. “Hong Kong authorities must constantly keep finding something and someone to target in order to signal to Beijing that it is diligent and that it is taking ‘national security’ very seriously,” she said.
The game has fewer than 360 ratings on the Apple and Google app stores combined, which is a relatively low number compared to popular mobile game apps that have millions of ratings. However, the app was still worthy of police attention, highlighting the strict measures being taken to enforce national security laws in Hong Kong.
The warning issued by Hong Kong police serves as a reminder of the city’s increasingly restrictive environment, where any perceived threat to national security is swiftly addressed. As NPR reported, the city’s authorities are taking a proactive approach to identifying and suppressing potential threats, including mobile games that may be deemed subversive or seditious.
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