Russia once again butted heads with global company Google after a Moscow court fined the multinational technology firm on Tuesday for allegedly failing to remove a series of banned content in the European nation.
The incident is the latest in a series of controversies involving the two sides over escalating penalties against Google. The legal actions taken by Russian authorities against the large company include pornographic material or posts deemed to be extremist or condoning drugs or suicide.
Russia Against Google
The Tagansky district announced the fines against Google on Tuesday, with a breakdown of five different charges with a total of $190,000. The incident comes after the global firm has been fined about $81,000 for the same charges in May and about $40,000 in December, The Moscow Times reported.
The European nation frequently fines Western tech companies for failing to comply with its given regulations and legislation. The Tagansky district court claimed that Google breached data localization laws.
The May issue was the first time Google was penalized for violating the controversial law passed in 2014. The legislation requires the personal data of Russian users to be stored within the country's territory.
Russia has openly been seeking cooperation from Google officials to construct offices and data centers in their territory. The tech firm did not immediately respond to requests for comments regarding the issue, Reuters reported.
Many critics argue that Russian authorities are trying to quell dissent ahead of parliamentary elections which are scheduled in September of this year. The Tagansky court also fined other social media platforms last month, including Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram, for failing to delete content that the country deemed illegal.
Prohibited Content
Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, demanded that Google delete what is considered to be prohibited content on its YouTube channel in May or risk being fined. The agency also demanded the video platform remove roughly 5,000 "prohibited" videos, about 3,500 of which were allegedly marked as "extremism," RFERL reported.
The issue with Google comes after Russia announced it would expel a BBC journalist as part of a political dispute. However, the agency condemned the decision and said that they hoped authorities could rescind the order.
The journalist was identified to be Sarah Rainsford, which is considered to be a direct assault on media freedom. Tim Davie, the director-general of BBC, said in a statement on Friday that the company is urging Russian officials to reconsider the option. In a post on Twitter, Rainsford noted that being forced out of the country she has lived in for nearly a third of her life was a "devastating" experience.
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said the company had repeatedly ignored multiple warnings. The official claimed they warned of potential consequences in retaliation for pressure on Russian journalists in Britain. However, she did not confirm the expulsion order on Rainsford. But the report on Thursday suggested that the country was escalating its efforts to confront Western news media, the New York Times reported.
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