Things don't seem to be going well for Google at the moment. Following reports of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority announcing an investigation into Google's search and ad businesses, the company is now facing scrutiny from the Russian government. Reportedly, a Russian court has imposed a fine of 8 billion Roubles (approximately $77.9 million) for failing to comply with previous penalty orders.
According to a press release on Telegram from the Moscow court, the fine was imposed by the Chertanovo District Court in Moscow. For years, the Russian government required foreign tech companies to remove content that it labels as illegal. Companies failing to comply with this order face repeated fines. However, the court hasn't specified the exact administrative violation that led to this record-breaking penalty against Google.
Google has also been fined $75 million for violating competition laws in Turkey. In addition, Google has multiple cases pending in the US, including an anti-trust lawsuit over its online ad business. Now, Google has to address one more challenge in Russia. Google has yet to comment on this matter.
YouTube, which once attracted over 50 million daily users in Russia, now sees that number reduced to around 12 million, according to Google data. This drop indicates that YouTube has been a major target of Russian criticism. Critics have accused Russian authorities of intentionally disrupting YouTube's download speeds in the country to prevent the Russian people from viewing content critical of President Vladimir Putin's government.
In their defense, the Russian authorities deny the claims, attributing the issues to Google's alleged failure to upgrade its equipment in the country. The fine adds to the growing tension between Russia and foreign tech companies. It remains to be seen what Google comes up with for its argument on this matter.
Source: Reuters
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