BackRussian court fines Google $32,000 for videos on conflict in Ukraine: Report
Google Russia news: Russian court fines Google $32,000 for allegedly failing to remove false information about conflict in Ukraine.
PremiumGoogle Russia news: A Russian court on Thursday fined Google 3 million rubles ($32,000) for allegedly failing to remove false information about the conflict in Ukraine, reported Associated Press (AP).
The judge's move followed similar actions in early August against Apple and the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia.
The AP noted that a court found Google-owned YouTube video service guilty of removing videos containing incorrect information about the conflict, which Russia describes as a "special military operation," according to Russian news reports.
Google was also found guilty of failing to remove videos that suggested minors enter non-public spaces, news agencies said, according to an AP report.
"In Russia, a magistrate's court typically handles administrative violations and low-level criminal cases. Google declined to comment. However, there's little that Moscow can do to collect the fine," said the news report.
The US tech giant's Russian business was almost shut down last year after the conflict began. The company said it filed for bankruptcy in Russia after authorities seized its bank account, leaving it unpaid to employees and suppliers.
Since sending troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has taken a number of measures to punish criticism or questioning of the military campaign.
Some critics were severely punished. Opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison this year for treason, stemming from his speeches against Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Also Read: Google's AI search will now allow you to summarize articles. Here's how to use it
Russia’s economy by most measures has been diminished by Western sanctions, but has held up better than expected thanks to a gusher of oil revenue and heavy government spending on war-related production. It is expected to eke out growth this year after shrinking by about 2% in 2022.
Also Read: Russian Ruble at Weakest Level Since Early Days of Ukraine War
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
