Google hit with $100 million fine in Russia for ‘systematic failure to remove banned content’

3 yıl önce

MOSCOW â A Russian court fined Google nearly $100 million Friday for âsystematic failure to remove banned contentâ â the largest such penalty yet as Moscow attempts to rein in Western tech giants.

The fine was calculated based on Googleâs annual revenue, the court said. Roskomnadzor, Russiaâs Internet regulator, told the court that Googleâs 2020 turnover in the country exceeded 85 billion rubles, or about $1.15 billion.

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The fine represents an escalation in Russiaâs push to pressure foreign tech firms to comply with its increasingly strict rules on what it deems illegal content â particularly apps, websites, posts and videos related to jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalnyâs network, which has been labeled extremist in the country.

Googleâs press service said it would study the court documents and then decide on next steps, such as if it will appeal the decision.

Google and other tech companies, such as Facebook parent company Meta and Twitter, are habitually fined in Russia. But those penalties have rarely exceeded $1 million.

During his end-of-year news conference Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Russia âwill continue insisting that our joint work with global network platforms will be in line with the Russian laws.â

He added that Moscow would rather not resort to a traffic slowdown or all-out block of a certain Internet company or social network, but âif we are forced into it, we will be forced to up our demands in regard to everyone who works with such issues and ignores interests of the Russian society.â

Digital rights activists have blasted a decision by Russian authorities to obligate foreign tech firms to open local offices starting Jan. 1, fearing that those subsidiaries can be used to pressure companies into Internet censorship.

Such a situation occurred in September, when Navalnyâs âSmart Votingâ app, which directed Russians how to vote in opposition of Putin during parliamentary elections, disappeared from Apple and Googleâs online stores. A person with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of angering the Russian government, told The Washington Post at the time that Google received direct threats against staff located in the country from Russian authorities.

Moscow also ramped up the pressure on Twitter earlier this year, slowing down the speed of the network in March in retaliation for what Russia said were content violations.

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