New Delhi: In a recent development, fines previously imposed on Alphabet’s Google and YouTube, Meta, TikTok, and Telegram by Russian courts seem to have been resolved, as these companies no longer appear as debtors in the state bailiffs’ database, according to information accessed by Reuters on Wednesday. However, the database still lists X (formerly Twitter) and Twitch, with fines amounting to 51 million roubles ($560,730) and 23 million roubles ($252,879), respectively.
As of now, there has been no immediate response from Google, Meta, TikTok, and Telegram regarding this update, and attempts to reach state bailiffs have been unsuccessful.
The tensions between Russia and foreign technology companies have been ongoing, primarily centered around allegations of hosting unlawful content and failure to store user data locally. These disputes escalated following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the aftermath of the invasion, Twitter and Meta Platforms Facebook and Instagram were blocked, and YouTube, owned by Google, faced heightened scrutiny from the Russian authorities.
Towards the end of 2023, a Russian court imposed a fine of 4.6 billion roubles ($50.4 million) on Google, calculated as a percentage of its annual turnover in Russia. Similarly, Meta, labeled as “extremist” in 2022, has also faced fines proportional to its Russian revenue.
