For failing to take down restricted films from YouTube in Russia, a Moscow court fined Google 21.1 billion roubles, or about $373 million. The in question recordings painted a negative picture of the nation’s military activities in Ukraine. The corporation has previously been threatened with fines by a Russian regulatory authority if it didn’t follow the government’s directives.
World criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year was intense. Numerous multinational corporations shut down or curtailed their operations there. Sanctions were also announced by governments to cut off communication with the largest nation on Earth. YouTube restricted access to Russia’s state-run media in Europe, among other things.
Additionally, as retaliation, Russia blocked access to several social media websites in the nation, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Although there were no restrictions on access to YouTube, the nation requested Google to take down certain videos that promoted false information about the crisis in Ukraine. Even after several reminders, the corporation still didn’t comply. As a result, the Moscow Tagansky District Court has now levied a substantial fine on it.
Advertisement According to a Reuters article, Russian regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that YouTube had not removed fakes about the details of the special military operation in Ukraine that denigrated the Russian Federation’s armed services. According to reports, the website also featured films that supported extremist viewpoints and encouraged young people to take part in unauthorized rallies.
The court estimated the penalties as a percentage of Google’s annual revenue in Russia, according to the report . The Russian division of the business’s bank account has also been frozen, making it hard for the computer giant to pay its employees’ paychecks. It filed for bankruptcy because the restrictions prevent it from transferring money to Russia from other nations.
Google was also fined by Russia last year. This is the second such large fine that Russia has levied against Google in recent months. For a similar offense—repeatedly failing to remove content that the government deems illegal—a Moscow court fined the corporation 7.2 billion roubles (more than $130 million at the current exchange rate) in December of last year. It was the IT company’s first revenue-based fine in the nation.
Advertisement According to Anton Gorelkin, the deputy chairman of a parliamentary committee in Russia, Google has displayed a blatant contempt for the legislation of the nation. Understandably, the corporation is now suffering the price for it. According to Gorelkin, if this conduct continues, Google runs the risk of completely losing the Russian market.
