Google Street View blurs Hong Kong protest graffiti
Google faced scrutiny for blurring out protest graffiti in Hong Kong from its Street View feature, prompting accusations of censorship. Politically charged messages such as “Xi Jinping must die for the sake of the world” and “liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times" disappeared from Street View during Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests in 2019. Google attributed the blurring to an algorithm error in its automatic blurring technology, which is designed to obscure identifiable faces and license plates. A representative clarified that the system did not function as intended in this instance, leading to the unintended censorship of certain graffiti while leaving other similar messages visible in the same vicinity. The updated Street View imagery of Hong Kong captured scenes from the protests, including boarded-up subway stations and memorials for victims of police actions. Nonetheless, the selective blurring of protest slogans sparked discussions about the balance between technology and political expression in public spaces , and the implications of automated content moderation technologies in politically sensitive contexts. System 🤖 Google Street View Operator: Alphabet/Google Developer: Alphabet/Google Country: Hong Kong Sector: Politics Purpose: Obscure sensitive objects Technology: Image recognition Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Human/civil rights
- Date it happened
- 2020-01-01
- Organisation involved
- Product, system or model
- Google Street View
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