A Moscow court stated that it is imposing a fine of 7.2 billion rubles (£73 million) on Alphabet’s Google for its repeated failure to remove content that Russia considers illegal. This is the first revenue-based fine in Russia.
Moscow has increased its pressure on large technology companies this year, which critics describe as an attempt by the Russian authorities to Strengthen control On the Internet, what they say threatens the freedom of individuals and companies.
Google said in an email that it will study the court’s ruling before deciding to take further steps.
Russia imposed small fines on foreign technology companies throughout the year, but Friday’s fine marks the first time that Russia has imposed a certain percentage of fines on a company’s annual turnover in Russia, greatly increasing the total amount of fines. It did not specify the percentage, although Reuters calculations show it is equivalent to slightly more than 8%.
Russia has ordered the company to delete posts promoting drug abuse and dangerous pastimes and information about homemade weapons and explosives, as well as posts by organizations designated by it as extremists or terrorists.
Google paid more than 32 million rubles in fines for content violations this year, and disagrees with Moscow on many issues.
Russia asked it to restore access to the German-language channel of the state-backed broadcaster RT.
Last week, a Russian businessman under sanctions claimed to have defeated Google in a court case, which could lead to heavy fines for the technology company again.
Moscow also requires that 13 foreign technology companies, including Google and Yuan Platform, mainly American technology companies, be established in Russia before January 1, otherwise they may face restrictions or outright bans.
