Russia Fines Google $373 Million for Failing To Remove Illegal Content

Russia’s court has fined Google $373 million (21.1 billion rubles) for repeated content violations, according to a press releaseOpens a new window by the Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor. Penalizing Google, the Tagansky District court said that the company had repeatedly failed to remove objectionable YouTube content the country deems illegal, such as videos spreading â€œfake newsâ€ about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and â€œpromoting extremism and terrorismâ€.

Simmering Dispute Erupts

Russia has long objected to overseas platforms’ distribution of content that goes against its restrictions. Google’s YouTube was specifically a target of the state’s ire even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. In December last year, Russia fined Google nearly $100 millionOpens a new window (7.2 billion rubles) for not deleting banned content. However, YouTube was not blocked, unlike Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

However, the simmering dispute escalated as Russia attacked Ukraine in February. The company removed Russian customers from many of its services, pausing ad sales on Google. It also demonetized channels owned by state-backed media and barred access to those channels. In March, Roskomnadzor warned GoogleOpens a new window that it would penalize the company for not removing â€œillegalâ€ videos related to the Ukraine invasion. It also said that the penalty would start at 8 million rubles and go up to 20% of the company’s annual revenue if Google repeated the offense.Â

The 21.1 billion rubles represent a sizeable percentage of the company’s revenues in Russia. According to Roskomnadzor, the court fined Google for failing to restrict access to banned materials. It also singled out YouTube for particular criticism. It said that the platform did not delete â€œfakes about the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation.â€ It further said that YouTube permitted content that promoted extremist views and calls for children to participate in unauthorized protests.Â

Anton Gorelkin, the deputy head of the parliamentary committee on information policy, said the company showed a demonstrative disregard for the country’s law.

See more: Google In Dire Straits As EU Court Upholds EC’s $2.8B Antitrust Ruling

Google Remains Silent

It is yet unclear whether Google will pay the hefty penalty. The company, which can appeal, has not yet commented on the fine.Â

Google, however, had announced in MayOpens a new window that it would shut down Russian operations after Russian authorities seized its assets and bank account in the country, making it impossible to pay the vendors and staff. The company’s Russian subsidiary subsequently filed for bankruptcy last month.

Google’s next move in Russia is yet to be seen.

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