Russia fines Google $2.5 billion over YouTube bans
Google has been fined around 2 undecillion rubles ($2.5 decillion) in Russia after refusing to reinstate the accounts of pro-Kremlin and state-run media sources for years, according to the RBC news website, citing an unnamed source familiar with court orders against the internet giant.
According to RBC sources, Google began accruing daily penalties of 100,000 rubles in 2020, after pro-government media groups Tsargrad and RIA FAN sued the corporation for shutting their YouTube channels. Those daily fines have quadrupled each week, resulting in a total punishment of around 2 undecillion rubles.
A Moscow court has ordered YouTube’s parent corporation to pay $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 for restricting Russian media sites. The sum is «filled with symbolism,» the Kremlin told NBC News on Thursday.
