Russian court fines Google $50.8 mln over ‘fake’ information -TASS

A Russian court has imposed a substantial fine of 4.6 billion roubles (approximately $50.84 million) on Alphabet Inc.’s Google for its failure to remove content deemed as “fake” by the Russian authorities. This content includes information about the conflict in Google and other topics. The fine was reported by the TASS news agency.

The tension between Russia and foreign technology companies has been escalating, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian authorities have been increasingly scrutinizing these companies over issues related to content, censorship, and local representation.InformationGuideNigeria

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According to the RIA news agency, part of the reason for the fine is Google’s failure to eliminate content categorized by Russia as “extremist” and the distribution of what is referred to in Russia as “LGBT propaganda.” Google had not responded to requests for comment on the matter at the time of the report.JAMB Result

In recent developments, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that LGBT activists should be designated as “extremists,” a decision that has raised concerns among representatives of gay and transgender communities about potential arrests and prosecutions.JAMB Portal

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YouTube, owned by Alphabet and a frequent target of Russian scrutiny, has not been blocked in Russia, unlike Twitter and Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram.

The fine levied against Google is based on a percentage of the company’s annual revenue in Russia. This is not the first instance of such a fine; Google faced similar turnover-based penalties in late 2021 and August 2022, amounting to 7.2 billion roubles and 21.1 billion roubles, respectively.NYSC Portal

This development reflects the ongoing challenges and complexities faced by international technology companies operating in Russia, especially in the context of the country’s stringent content and censorship laws.