Hong Kong residents found downloading or sharing a mobile game app about defeating the communist regime may be punished under national security laws, police have said, reports BBC.
According to the website for Reversed Front: Bonfire, players can "pledge allegiance" to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Tibet or Uyghurs, among other options, "to overthrow the Communist regime".
In a statement on Tuesday, police warned that those who download the game "may be regarded as in possession of a publication that has a seditious intention".
It comes as Beijing has tightened its grip over the city and has been seen as increasingly cracking down on dissent in the wake of the 2019 pro-democracy protests.
In a line on the game's website, it stated that it was a "work of non-fiction", adding that "any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC in this game is intentional".
The game also allows users to play as communists to fight enemies and support the communist revolution.
Police have also warned people against providing funding to the app developer, ESC Taiwan.
"'Reversed Front: Bonfire' was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as 'Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence'," said the police statement.
"Those who have downloaded the application should uninstall it immediately and must not attempt to defy the law."
As of Wednesday, the game, which was launched in April, is no longer accessible on Google Play or Apple's App Store from Hong Kong.
But the warning might have inadvertently brought more attention to the game, which on Wednesday was the most popular search term on Google among Hong Kong residents.
The game's creators have appeared to embrace the news surrounding its ban in the city, writing in a post that the game had been "introduced to the entire Hong Kong" as a result.
In 2020, China imposed a national security law (NSL) on Hong Kong that critics say effectively outlawed dissent, but Beijing maintains is crucial for maintaining stability.
The law, which criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, came in response to massive pro-democracy protests that broke out in Hong Kong in 2019.
Media mogul Jimmy Lai and activist Joshua Wong are among the pro-democracy figures who have been charged or jailed under the NSL.
Hong Kong is governed under the principle of "one country, two systems", under which China has agreed to give the region a high degree of autonomy and to preserve its economic and social systems for 50 years from the date of the handover.
But critics say the implementation of the NSL has breached the "one country, two systems" principle, though Beijing and Hong Kong have argued the NSL ensures the "resolute, full and faithful implementation" of "one country, two systems".
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