Latest news with #ReversedFront
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Hong Kong outlaws video game, saying it promotes ‘armed revolution'
The game was removed from Apple's app store in Hong Kong on Wednesday, but remains available elsewhere. Advertisement But it had already been out of reach for many gamers. It was never available in mainland China, and earlier this month Google removed Reversed Front from its app store, citing hateful language, according to the developers. ESC Taiwan is a group of anonymous volunteers who are outspoken against China's Communist Party. Their products, which include a board game released in 2020, are supported by crowdfunded donations. The developers said that the removal of the game demonstrated how mobile apps in Hong Kong are subject to the type of political censorship seen in mainland China. 'Our game is precisely accusing and revealing such intentions,' the group's representatives said in an email. In social media posts, they also thanked authorities for the free publicity and posted screenshots of the game's name surging in Google searches. They said the comments and pseudonyms selected by players in the game would not be censored, whether they were in support or in opposition of the Communist Party. Advertisement In its statement, Hong Kong police said the game promoted 'secessionist agendas' and was intended to provoke hatred of the government. They said that publishing, recommending, and downloading the game, or supporting the online campaigns that funded it, could amount to sedition and incitement to secession under the national security law in Hong Kong, offenses that can lead to jail sentences. This is not the first time a video game has been used as an avenue for political protest that has incurred the wrath of Chinese authorities. Animal Crossing, an online game in which players could build elaborate designs of their own island, was removed from mainland China after players began importing Hong Kong protest slogans into the game. Even though virtually all forms of dissent in Hong Kong have been quashed, the national security dragnet in the city continues to widen. Authorities have made widespread arrests under the law, which was imposed five years ago in the wake of massive pro-democracy protests. Last week, Hong Kong authorities laid new national security charges against Joshua Wong, one of the city's most prominent young activists. Wong is serving the prison sentence of another national security charge that ends in January 2027. Authorities last month charged the father of Anna Kwok, an outspoken activist living in Washington, D.C., accusing him of helping handle her financial assets. Kwok is on a list of people overseas wanted by the Hong Kong police, which has placed bounties on their heads by offering rewards for information that would lead to their arrest. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Why Hong Kong used a national security law to ban this mobile game
Hong Kong has banned the mobile game Reversed Front: Bonfire under the national security law, alleging it promotes secessionism and armed revolution. The game, developed by ESCTaiwan, allows players to pledge allegiance to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, or Uyghurs to overthrow the Communist regime. Hong Kong police claim the game, was intended to promote "Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence", may lead to prosecution for those who download it. The game's website declares its similarity to actual agencies and policies of the People's Republic of China is intentional. Critics argue the ban exemplifies the erosion of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong under Chinese Communist Party control, destroying creative freedom in gaming.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hong Kong police warn users over downloading ‘secessionist' mobile game
Hong Kong police have warned people against downloading a Taiwan-developed mobile game which they say is 'secessionist' and could lead to arrest. The game, Reversed Front: Bonfire, allows users to 'pledge allegiance' to various groups linked to locations that have been major flashpoints or targets for China including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Manchuria, in order to 'overthrow the communist regime' known as the 'People's Republic'. While some aspects and place names of the game's worldview are imagined, the website says the game is 'a work of NON-FICTION' and 'any similarity to actual agencies, policies, or ethnic groups of the PRC [China] in this game is INTENTIONAL.' Players may also choose to 'lead the communists to defeat all enemies' in the game, but it has provoked a reaction from authorities aligned with the Chinese Communist party (CCP). On Tuesday Hong Kong police said Reversed Front was 'advocating armed revolution' and promoting Taiwanese and Hong Kong independence 'under the guise of a game'. Downloading the game could see players charged with possessing seditious material, while making in-app purchases could be viewed as providing funding to the developers 'for the commission of secession or subversion', the police said. Recommending the game could also constitute the offence of 'incitement to secession'. In Reversed Front's worldview, communists have conquered surrounding lands and formed a mega state, ruling it as a 'colonial power with unprecedented cruelty', and forcing many of the conquered peoples to flee. Decades later, only Taiwan still stands its ground, 'fending off the persistent aggravation'. The game asks players if Taiwan can stay safe by avoiding provocative action, or if it should 'refrain from repeating the same mistakes of the last 30 years which allowed thecommunists to grow into the behemoth today'. In player descriptions, the game describes the communists as 'heavy-handed, reckless and inept' and accused of 'widespread corruption, embezzlement, exploitation, slaughter and defilement'. On their Facebook page, the developers – known as ESC Taiwan or Taiwan Overseas Strategic Communication Working Group (ESC) – said the attention had boosted downloads. On Wednesday it said the game had topped the Hong Kong App Store's downloads chart on Tuesday night, before being taken down in the morning. 'We encourage users to change the country or region of their Apple ID in order to successfully download the game.' The developers vowed not to actively filter or review any words or phrases in the game – a nod to recent controversies over censorship in Chinese-made or China-related games. It is unclear where ESC Taiwan is based. The police warning over the game forms part of an ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy opposition in Hong Kong, where CCP control has steadily tightened around the once semi-autonomous city. In 2020 Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong, with the city government's blessing, outlawing a broad range of dissenting behaviours as criminal. Critics have accused authorities of weaponising the law to target opposition voices, including activists, politicians, labour unions, journalists and media outlets, as well as children's books and bookshops. Additional research by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Hong Kong bans mobile game about overthrowing communist regime
Hong Kong has invoked the national security law to ban a mobile game for allegedly advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionism in the Chinese city and self-governed Taiwan. Hong Kong residents were unable to find Reversed Front: Bonfire, developed by ESC Taiwan, on Apple's app store on Wednesday after authorities warned against downloading the application. Police claimed the app was released in April under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as "Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence' and advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People's Republic of China". The app in its description says players can "pledge allegiance" to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet, or Uyghurs, among other options, "to overthrow the Communist regime". They may also choose to lead the communists to defeat all enemies. On the app's Facebook page, the developer posted about surging searches for the game name and a news report about Tuesday's development. The game's website declares that it 'is a work of nonfiction'. 'Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC in this game is intentional.' Police said any person found to have downloaded the game "may be regarded as in possession of a publication that has a seditious intention". The game publisher last month said Google Play had taken the app down because it did not prohibit users from adopting hateful language in naming. Reversed Front is the first app to be banned in Hong Kong under the national security law in what appears to be a widening crackdown on dissent following the pro-democracy protests of 2019. The city authorities have silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and a similar local law enacted last year. China also faces allegations of eradicating any possibility of unrest in regions that are home to sizeable ethnic populations by imprisoning dissenters, reshaping societies and religions to align them with the views of the Communist Party. The approach has allegedly hardened in the past decade under the leadership of Xi Jinping, who has been accused of a brutal crackdown on the Uyghur community in the Xinjiang region. After playing the game for about three months, Kuo Hao Fu in Taiwan said he found its content took a humorous approach to describe serious political issues. Mr Fu disagreed with the Hong Kong police's accusations, saying players could choose to be part of the force representing China. 'The Hong Kong police's actions demonstrate how Hong Kong's democratic freedoms have been controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,' he told the Associated Press. 'When even this level cannot be tolerated, it completely destroys creative freedom in gaming.' Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to bring self-governed Taiwan under its control and routinely conducts military exercises circling the island. Beijing and Hong Kong insist that the national security laws are necessary to return stability to the city following the 2019 protests.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Hong Kong Outlaws a Video Game for Promoting ‘Armed Revolution'
Hong Kong's national security police have a new target in their sights: gamers. In a stern warning issued Tuesday, they effectively banned a Taiwanese video game they described as 'advocating armed revolution,' saying anyone who downloaded or recommended it would face serious legal charges. The move comes as the authorities continue to tighten control over online content they consider a threat to the Chinese city. 'Reversed Front: Bonfire' is an online game of war strategy released by a Taiwanese group. Illustrated in a colorful manga style, players can choose the roles of 'propagandists, patrons, spies or guerrillas' from Taiwan, Mongolia and the Chinese territories of Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet in plots and simulated battles against China's ruling Communist Party. Alternatively, players can choose to represent government fighters. The game was removed from Apple's app store in Hong Kong on Wednesday, but remains available elsewhere. But it had already been out of reach for many gamers. It was never available in mainland China and earlier this month Google removed 'Reversed Front' from its app store, citing hateful language, according to the developers. ESC Taiwan is a group of anonymous volunteers who are outspoken against China's Communist Party. Their products, which include a board game released in 2020, are supported by crowdfunded donations. The developers said that the removal of the game demonstrated how mobile apps in Hong Kong are subject to the type of political censorship seen in mainland China. 'Our game is precisely accusing and revealing such intentions,' the group's representatives said in an email. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
