MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) – Alphabet’s Google ( GOOGL.O ) was fined 21.1 billion rubles ($373 million) on Monday by a Moscow court for repeatedly failing to remove content Russia deems illegal, such as “fake news” about the conflict. in Ukraine, the Russian communications regulator said.
Moscow has long opposed the distribution of content from foreign technology platforms that violates its restrictions. But the simmering dispute has erupted into an all-out battle since Moscow assembled its armed forces before sending them into Ukraine in February.
Alphabet’s YouTube has been a particular target of state ire but, unlike Twitter ( TWTR.N ) and Meta Platforms ( META.O ) Facebook and Instagram, it has not been blocked.
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The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said the Tagansky District Court had fined Google 21.1 billion rubles for repeatedly failing to promptly limit access to banned material and singled out YouTube for particular criticism.
He said that YouTube had not deleted “falsifications about the course of the special military operation in Ukraine, discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation.”
He also said YouTube was allowing content promoting extremist views and calls for children to take part in unauthorized protests.
Google, which may appeal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The fine was calculated as a fraction of Google’s annual turnover in Russia. It had received a similar penalty of 7.2 billion rubles late last year.
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Russia says it is conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine to mitigate a threat to its security and protect Russian speakers from persecution.
Ukraine and its Western allies dismiss such accusations as baseless pretexts for an illegal land grab.
Anton Gorelkin, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on information policy, said Google was showing a demonstrative disregard for Russian law.
“It is not difficult to predict what this attitude will lead to: Google risks losing the Russian market completely,” he wrote on Telegram. ($1 = 56.4650 rubles)
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Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan
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