A court in Moscow has imposed a fine of $358million (21 billion rubles) on Google LLC for failing to restrict access to information that the country considers prohibited.
An announcement by Russia’s internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, Google, and its subsidiary YouTube, have failed to remove the following materials even after many requests from the Russian IT controller:
- Content promoting extremism and terrorism
- Information that promotes participation in unauthorised mass action
- Content promoting harmful acts for the life and health of minors
- Information about the course of the “special military operation” in Ukraine, which discredits the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The watchdog has tried to enforce sanctions over the past few months based on various parts of the Code of Administrative Offences in Russia.
In June, the organisation fined Google LLC 68 million rubles ($1.2 million) for failure to remove prohibited information.
Any further fines would be revenue based, given the multiple violations of the same legal requirement. This could reach as high as 10% of the company’s annual turnover. Roskomnadzor clarifies that the $358million was calculated on this basis.
The same measure was taken last week against Twitch Interactive, the popular streaming platform, for similar violations.
The Russian Google subsidiary, Google LLC, was forced to file for bankruptcy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They said that they were not able to continue business after a series of fines and asset confiscation.
Google’s non-paid services in Russia remain accessible, but restricted. No advertising campaigns can be purchased in the country.
