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Russia fines Google more money than there is in entire world

2024-10-31 21:00:31
A Russian court has imposed the fine on the US Tech giant

Russia media outlet RBC reports the fine on Google relates to the restriction of content of 17 Russian media channels on YouTube.

While this started in 2020, it escalated after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years later.

That saw most Western companies pull out of Russia, with doing business there also tightly restricted by sanctions.

Russian media outlets were also banned in Europe - prompting retaliatory measures from Moscow.

In 2022, Google’s local subsidiary was declared bankrupt and the company has stopped offering its commercial services in Russia, such as advertising.

However, its products are not completely banned in the country.

This development is the latest escalation between Russia and the US tech giant.

In May, 2021, Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor accused Google of restricting YouTube access to Russian media outlets, including RT and Sputnik, and supporting "illegal protest activity".

Then, in July, 2022, Russia fined Google 21.1bn rouble (£301m) for failing to restrict access to what it called "prohibited" material about the war in Ukraine and other content.

There is virtually no press freedom in Russia, with independent news outlets and freedom of expression severely curtailed.