Google fined multiple times by Russia for content violations in 2024
US technology company Google LLC was fined multiple times by Russia in 2024 for content violations, said the authorities on Friday.
"In 2024, courts fined Google LLC four times. The total amount of fines reached 15.1 million rubles (US$170,000)," Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.
The fines were issued due to Google's failure to remove extremist content, fake news, and materials calling for mass unrest from its video-sharing platform YouTube. Google was also fined for content related to VPN services and other illegal materials.
On Monday, the Tagansky District Court in Moscow imposed another fine of 3.8 million rubles on Google. This penalty was issued because the company failed to take down misinformation about Russia's Armed Forces, appeals for financing Ukraine's military, calls for mass unrest, and materials promoting non-traditional sexual relations, according to Roskomnadzor.
The regulator also noted that the content in question included videos detailing methods to bypass restrictions on banned resources in Russia, as well as information that Russian courts have ruled prohibited for distribution in the country.
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