Key Points
Russia penalizes Google for extremist and misleading YouTube content
Multiple fines target unauthorized VPN and unrest-related materials
Penalties relate to military misinformation and restricted resources
"In 2024, courts fined Google LLC four times. The total amount of fines reached 15.1 million rubles (about 170,000 US dollars)," Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.
The fines were issued due to Google's failure to remove extremist content, fake news and materials calling for mass unrest from its video-sharing platform YouTube. Google was also fined for content related to VPN services and other illegal materials.
On Monday, the Tagansky District Court in Moscow imposed another fine of 3.8 million rubles (about 43,000 dollars) on Google. This penalty was issued because the company failed to take down misinformation about Russia's Armed Forces, appeals for financing Ukraine's military, calls for mass unrest, and materials promoting non-traditional sexual relations, according to Roskomnadzor.
The regulator also noted that the content in question included videos detailing methods to bypass restrictions on banned resources in Russia, as well as information that Russian courts have ruled prohibited for distribution in the country.
Earlier this week, Xinhua news agency reported that Google paid 326 million euros (339.4 million US dollars) to Italian authorities to settle a dispute over unpaid taxes.
Prosecutors in Milan launched an investigation into Google Ireland Limited after the Italian revenue agency determined that the company had failed to declare its income and pay related taxes for the period from 2015 to 2019.
Following an agreement, Google paid 326 million euros, covering taxes, fines, and interest, to resolve the dispute with Italian tax authorities, Milan Chief Prosecutor Marcello Viola said in a statement, on Wednesday.
After the final protocol was signed on January 28, a request had been submitted to the preliminary investigation judge to dismiss the pending case against Google, he said, adding that the investigation, conducted in cooperation with finance police and the revenue agency, focused on revenues generated through the sale of advertising space.
