Russia has reportedly fined Google $20 Decillion which is more than the combined GDP of the entire world. The fine was imposed by a Moscow Court for violation of national broadcasting rules. YouTube allegedly blocked pro-kremlin news channels and Russia state backed media outlets. The court arrived at this number because the penalty imposed works in a compounding manner which is doubling each day these channels stay blocked on YouTube. The platform has allegedly imposed the same policy on more than 1000 channels and 15000 videos globally. The platform justified its decision by pointing to content policies prohibiting material that denies, minimises, or trivialises violent events.
As per reports more than 15 Russian broadcasters have joined the legal suit against Google. They are demanding restoration of their channels on the platform. Since the war between Russia and Ukraine erupted, Google has reduced majority of its operations in the country. In 2022 YouTube announced a worldwide ban on certain Pro-Putin news channels. The legal basis for this fine arose under Article 13.41 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) which allows for large penalties for blocking government-approved media content.
The platform’s actions were seen as part of wider western propaganda to weaken Russia especially post Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Paskov said that though the number is real, unpayble but it has a larger symbolism. “He also said that Google should not restrict the actions of our broadcasters, but it does. This should be a reason for Google’s management to pay attention to this and correct the situation.” Even in 2022, Google was fined 21.1 Billion Rubles ($301 Million). Both Google and Youtube have been on a standoff since then.
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