Google Fined Again in Russia for Content Violations
According to the Economic Desk of Webangah News Agency, Moscow has levied a fresh penalty against Google, marking the latest legal action by Russia against the U.S. technology firm for its alleged failure to remove banned content and disclose data on Russian users.
Reports from multiple Russian media outlets indicate that the Nagorny District Court in Moscow found Google in violation of previous court orders requiring the deletion of prohibited content. The court also cited the company’s failure to localize the personal data of Russian users on domestic servers.
This penalty adds to the growing series of legal and financial pressures exerted by Moscow on foreign technology platforms.
Previously, the state-run TASS news agency reported that on the preceding Wednesday, a Moscow district court fined Google 22.8 million rubles (approximately $294.8 million) for distributing Virtual Private Network (VPN) services through the Google Play store.
According to Russia’s state media regulator, Roskomnadzor, Google had disregarded several directives to remove applications and advertisements, thereby allowing users to bypass government-imposed restrictions while accessing the internet.
Google has faced a string of substantial, though largely symbolic, fines from Moscow in recent years. Last year, the Supreme Court of Russia reportedly imposed an extraordinary penalty equivalent to $2.5 trillion on Google. This amount, which is roughly one million times the global GDP, was reportedly a consequence of a 2020 lawsuit concerning YouTube’s alleged restriction of pro-Russian government channels.
Most of Google’s operations in Russia were suspended following the commencement of the conflict in Ukraine five years ago. Google’s Russian subsidiary declared bankruptcy in 2022 and ceased all commercial activities by October 2023.
Despite regulatory disputes, free services such as Google Search and YouTube remain accessible in Russia, though their connection speeds have reportedly been reduced, according to the Anadolu Agency.
In a separate development, the Belgian Competition Authority announced on Friday that it has opened a formal investigation into Google concerning potential breaches of competition law within the online advertising sector.
The Authority’s statement detailed that the Directorate General of Competition has identified “serious indications” of potential violations of rules governing the abuse of dominant positions or economic dependency, following complaints regarding Google’s conduct in digital advertising.
This officially ongoing investigation follows referrals from market participants who have expressed concerns about Google’s role across multiple layers of the online advertising ecosystem, which connects advertisers with publishers seeking to monetize their digital inventory.
