New Delhi:
Russia has imposed a fine on Google estimated at an astronomical Dh20 for a 2 followed by 34 zeros. The unprecedented fine targets YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, over the platform’s decision to block Russian state media channels in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This amount is far beyond any rational fiscal scale and is many times larger than the entire world economy.
The penalty comes after a Russian court ruled that Google violated the country’s broadcasting rules by banning Russian state media channels on YouTube. Additional judgments requiring reinstatement of these channels make the fines even heavier, doubling each day a platform fails to comply within nine months.
The issue dates back to March 2022, when YouTube announced a global ban on several Russian state-run channels, including RT and Sputnik. The platform justified its decision by pointing to its content policy, which prohibits material that negates, downplays, or trivializes violent events. YouTube has enforced these policies against channels that support Russian rhetoric surrounding the Ukraine conflict, removing more than 1,000 channels and 15,000 videos worldwide. In Europe, restrictions were placed on Russian state media accounts before the ban was extended worldwide. The move prompted a backlash from Russia, which sees the move as censorship and repression of state media.
Since 2020, Google has faced ongoing penalties, starting with a daily fine of 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,028), for blocking Russian channels from two Russian state media outlets, Tsargrad and RIA FAN. facing.
According to reports, 17 Russian broadcasters have joined the legal battle, filing a lawsuit against Google and demanding the reinstatement of their channels on the platform.
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Google significantly reduced its operations in Russia, but did not withdraw completely. Services such as YouTube and Google Search remain available within Russia’s borders. Unlike some U.S. tech companies that have withdrawn completely, Google continues to have some operations in Russia, although its Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy a few months after the conflict began after the Russian government seized its bank accounts. I applied.
The Kremlin claims the fine is a symbolic move intended to force Google to reconsider its stance on Russian broadcasters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that the hefty fine is aimed at drawing attention to how seriously Russia takes YouTube’s ban on Russian media. “I can’t even pronounce this number correctly,” Peskov said.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has imposed various penalties against foreign technology platforms hosting content deemed anti-Russian or pro-Ukrainian. YouTube remains accessible in Russia, but authorities have threatened to block the platform completely if it continues to restrict Russian media channels.
