MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian courts on Friday imposed fines on parent companies Google and Facebook, Alphabet and Meta Platforms, both accused of failing to remove content deemed illegal by the authorities.
Russian authorities have stepped up their pressure on major social networks this year as part of a campaign seen by its drafters as an attempt to exert tighter control over the internet.
Google was fined 7.2 billion rubles (approximately 86.5 million euros) and Meta Platforms fined 2 billion rubles.
Google has said it will review the court’s decision before deciding on possible steps to take. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Google has already paid over 32 million rubles in fines for violations of content rules this year.
Russia has imposed several fines on large foreign tech companies throughout this year, but the sanctions announced on Friday mark the first time it has demanded a percentage of Russian companies’ annual turnover, dramatically increasing the amount of the fine.
(Report by Anton Kolodyazhnyy and Maria Tsvetkova, edited by Olzhas Asezov; French version Camille Raynaud)