Russia’s Chertanovo District Court Fines Google $78 Million For Ignoring Penalties

Russia’s Chertanovo District Court Fines Google $78 Million For Ignoring Penalties

The amount was increased significantly from the usual four million roubles

The Chertanovo District Court in Moscow, Russia, has fined Google 8 billion roubles ($77.9 million) for not complying with its penalty orders.

The fine was imposed for Google's failure to comply with an administrative punishment. However, the administrative offence was not specified.

For several years, the country has ordered foreign technology platforms to remove content, which it deems illegal. It has issued small but persistent fines on noting failures to comply.

According to Google’s data, video platform YouTube drew ire for hosting the content that Moscow opposed. It had over 50 million daily users in Russia, but the numbers dropped to 12 million.

Meanwhile, critics have accused the Russian authorities of deliberately disrupting YouTube's download speeds to prevent people from viewing content opposed to President Vladimir Putin and his administration.

However, Russia refuted the claims, stating that the issues were caused by Google's failure to upgrade the equipment, a charge disputed by the company and the technology experts.

Recently, President Putin had accused Alphabet’s Google of being a tool used by the government of the United States to seek political mileage.