A Russian court has fined Google more than 21 billion rubles (368 million euros) for failing to remove banned content relating to the war in Ukraine, Roskomnadzor, the telecommunications regulator in the country, announced on Monday. country.
Google has again been criticized by the Russian authorities, who accuse it of not having removed content deemed illegal by the country. Specifically, according to an official message posted on Telegram by the Roskomnadzor, the Russian telecommunications regulatory authority, the company did not remove clips from YouTube promoting “extremism and terrorism” and anti-Russian propaganda centered on the current war between Russia and Ukraine. However, Russia had already requested their withdrawal last March.
Google has been so been fined 21.1 billion rubles (368 million euros) by a Russian court for repeatedly failing to remove content deemed illegal by Moscow. The new fine comes shortly after Google filed for bankruptcy in the country after its bank account was seized.
Google gets another fine from Russia
In recent years, Russia has increased its pressure on tech companies and their content, saying the lack of content moderation interferes with national operations and internal affairs. This pressure to moderate social media and content has only increased since the invasion of Ukraine in February.
This isn’t the first time Google has faced a hefty fine for content it allows to run in relation to Russian activity. As a reminder, in December last year, Google had previously been fined $110 million for failing to remove content deemed illegal by Russia. In April this year, another $170,000 fine was imposed for allegedly disseminating inaccurate information about Russian troop losses in Ukraine.
Fortunately, Google isn’t the only one fined by Russia for illegal activity. Last month, Twitch, Pinterest, Airbnb and UPS were all fined for refusing to store personal data Russian users inside the country. Meta and TikTok had also been fined a ridiculous amount, as the two social networks were accused of breaking the law intended to suppress homosexuality in the country by spreading LGBT content.
