A Russian court said it had fined Alphabet-owned search engine Google 15 million rubles ($260,000) for repeatedly failing to comply with Russian law requiring tech companies to localize user data.
Over the past few years, Russia has repeatedly imposed fines on foreign technology companies for a number of violations. Critics say the move is an attempt by Moscow to increase its control over the Internet.
Russia has restricted access to Twitter and Meta Platforms’ main social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, but Google and its YouTube are still accessible today despite the pressure they face.
Moscow’s Tagansky District Court said it imposed a fine for what it called Google’s repeated refusal to store Russian users’ personal data in databases in Russia. Google withdrew some of its employees from Russia after Moscow sent troops on February 24 to “invade Ukraine.”
Russia has fined the photo-sharing app (LikeMe) 1.5 million rubles for the first violation.
And Google may not be able to pay the fine, as its Russian subsidiary announced plans to file for bankruptcy in May after authorities seized its bank account.
Source: El Nashra