A court in the Russian city of Moscow has announced that it has for the first time fined Google $ 98 million for not removing illegal content from its services based on revenue. The court also fined Meta (formerly Facebook) $ 27.15 million for similar reasons.
According to Reuters , Russia has increased the pressure on the big companies in the world of technology to have more control over the Internet space, and in the latest action, two heavy fines have been imposed on Google and Meta. Russia's communications watchdog says Google has failed to remove 2,600 illegal content, and Facebook and Instagram have failed to remove 2,000.
Google said in a statement that it would decide on the next steps after reviewing the outcome of the case. Meta has not yet responded to media requests for comment. Russia imposed small fines on technology companies during 2021, but in a recent move, for the first time, demanded a percentage of companies' annual revenues in Russia as a penalty.
The first fine in Russia based on the income of technology companies
The percentage of the fine has not been officially announced by the court, but Reuters calculations show that Google has to pay more than 8% of its revenue as a penalty. Content that Russia has sought to remove includes promoting drug use, dangerous entertainment, training in home-made weapons, and information about extremist or terrorist groups.
Google has fined Russia more than 32 million rubles so far this year and is at loggerheads over the issue. Last week, a Russian businessman on the US sanctions list claimed that he had won a lawsuit against Google and that he could face another heavy fine.
Moscow has ordered 13 technology companies, most of them American, to set up offices in the country by January 1, 2022, or face possible restrictions or bans.
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