HONG KONG -- Hong Kong constabulary connected Tuesday accused a mobile crippled exertion of advocating equipped gyration and promoting secessionist agendas, saying that those who people it oregon stock it with others online whitethorn hazard violating nationalist information laws.
The announcement — the archetypal to publically denounce a gaming app — indicates that authorities are widening the crackdown that has followed anti-government protests successful 2019. Authorities person crushed oregon silenced galore dissenting voices done prosecutions nether the 2020 nationalist information instrumentality imposed by Beijing and a similar, homegrown instrumentality enacted past year.
In a statement, constabulary warned residents against downloading the “Reversed Front: Bonfire" application, saying those with the app installed mightiness beryllium seen arsenic possessing a work with a seditious intention.
They besides warned radical against providing fiscal assistance to the exertion developer, including making in-app purchases.
“'Reversed Front: Bonfire' was released nether the guise of a crippled with the purpose of promoting secessionist agendas specified arsenic ‘Taiwan independence’ and ‘Hong Kong independence,’ advocating equipped gyration and the overthrow of the cardinal strategy of the People’s Republic of China,” constabulary said.
The crippled exertion was developed by ESC Taiwan, which did not instantly respond to The Associated Press' petition for comment. On the application's Facebook page, the developer posted astir surging searches for the crippled sanction and a Hong Kong broadcaster’s quality study astir Tuesday’s development.
According to the application’s introduction, players tin presume the relation of Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur, Taiwan oregon Cathaysian Rebel factions, among others, to overthrow the communist regime. They whitethorn besides take to pb the communists to decision each enemies.
The game’s website says it “is a enactment of nonfiction. Any similarity to existent agencies, policies oregon taste groups of the PRC successful this crippled is intentional.”
On Tuesday night, the app was inactive disposable connected Apple's App Store but not connected the Google Play store. The crippled steadfast past period said Google Play had taken the app down due to the fact that it did not prohibit users from adopting hateful connection successful naming.
Apple, Google and Meta person not instantly commented.
After playing the crippled for astir 3 months, Kuo Hao Fu successful Taiwan said helium recovered that its contented uses a humorous attack to picture superior governmental issues. Fu disagreed with the constabulary accusations, saying players tin besides take to beryllium portion of the unit representing China.
“The Hong Kong police's actions show however Hong Kong's antiauthoritarian freedoms person been controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,” helium said. “When adjacent this level cannot beryllium tolerated, it wholly destroys originative state successful gaming.”
China considers Taiwan its ain territory, to beryllium brought nether its power by unit if necessary. Many Taiwanese successful the self-ruled land showed concerns astir Hong Kong's declining freedoms nether Beijing's grip.
The Beijing and Hong Kong governments importune the city's nationalist information laws were indispensable to instrumentality stableness to the metropolis pursuing the protests.
English (CA) · 
English (US) · 
Spanish (MX) ·