Lyra Martin Tech 07.20.2022 07:Jul AM EDT

Russia Fines Google $373M for Hosting Prohibited Videos Despite Being Stopped

Google's relationship with Russian authorities has been rocky since last year, and now it has been punished again for not removing YouTube video that breaches its laws.

Google Faces Another Penalty in Russia

Following a roughly $100 million punishment for unlawful material last year, Google has had a tumultuous relationship with Russian authorities lately. The situation for Google is becoming worse as Russia has levied yet another punishment for failing to remove YouTube content that violates the nation's rules.

A Moscow court reportedly penalized Google 21.1 billion rubles (about $373 million) for continuing to host the restricted movies after being instructed to do so, according to Reuters. The in-issue films include content that, according to Russia, casts doubt on its "military actions" in Ukraine.

The YouTube video was declared to be "fakes about the progress of a special military operation in Ukraine" and defamed Russia's armed forces by the Tagansky District Court of Moscow. According to the court, certain information promoted extremism and terrorism.

Additionally, Google has been found guilty of having an "indifferent attitude to the lives and health of children," which the Russian residents should oppose, according to the court.

Furthermore, Russia has frozen the subsidiary's bank account, making it hard for Google to pay the charges. Any kind of financial transfer to Russia is likewise prohibited under the present western sanctions imposed on it. Thus, Google's Russian division has filed for bankruptcy.

Aside from Google, Moscow penalized Meta and TikTok in April for not removing LGBT-related content. Since invading Ukraine in February, Russia has been trying to limit free speech. Its latest action against Google is part of that effort.

Russia fined Google for similar breaches last month with a $1.2 million punishment. Google was penalized $138,000 in April for allegedly spreading misinformation against Ukraine.

Danish Job-Search Rival Filed an Antitrust Complaint Against Google

In June, Danish online competitor Jobindex filed an antitrust complaint against Google with European Union authorities, alleging that the Alphabet-owned company had unfairly favored its own job-search engine.

Margrethe Vestager, head of EU competition, may reexamine the Google for Jobs service in light of the complaint. Vestager said she was looking into the matter three years ago, but she has not yet taken action.

The complaint would be assessed in line with recognized procedures, according to the European Commission. Similar to Jobindex's allegation, German media group Axel Springer's Stepstone employment portal protested Google four years ago.

Google has received fines from Vestager totaling more than 8 billion euros ($8.4 billion) in recent years for a variety of anti-competitive practices. The firm asserts that it collaborates with employers to direct customers to websites with relevant job listings.

When it debuted in Europe in 2018, 23 online job-search websites condemned Google for Jobs. They claimed that the internet search engine had lost market share due to allegedly leveraging its market dominance position to advertise its new service.

Large technological corporations abuse their monopoly position to promote their goods at the expense of smaller European competitors, giving rise to antitrust concerns.