Russia opens case against Google for allegedly 'failing to remove banned content'

Russia’s media regulation and censorship ncy, Roskomnadzor, on vember 23 informed that it has opened a case against US tech giant Google for allegedly failing to remove banned content from its search engine. According to censorship ncy’s press release, Google’s search results have previously included sites that are blocked in Russia, including ones containing extremist, porgraphic, and suicide-related content. Russian ncy claimed that on aver, Google does t remove 30 per cent of “dangerous content” prohibited in country from its search engine. 

Roskomnadzor, in a statement, said, “ company is accused of failing to comply with requirements of Russian legislation on removal of Internet resources containing information banned in Russia from search results”. 

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Google might be fined up to $65,000

As Roskomnadzor opened an administrative case, procedure could lead to a court case and fine of up to $65,670. According to Russian law, search engine operators are required to remove sites blocked in nation from ir search result. In order to do this, operators have to be connected to Roskomnadzor’s registry of prohibited sites. 

Back in 2019, a Russian court had fined Google 1.5 million roubles after finding it guilty of failing to block content banned in Russia, while or global tech companies have faced challenges in nation. Google, on or hand, regularly removes links to banned sites from search engines, but t automatically and only after studying grounds for ban. 

Meanwhile, previously, lawmakers presented draft legislation that could allow government to restrict internet access to US social media platforms deemed to have discriminated against Russian media outlets. According to reports, Microsoft’s LinkedIn is blocked in Russia after a court found that it breached a data-stor rule, passed in 2015, which required all data about Russian citizens to be sorted within country. 

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