Russia Tightens Grip on Tech Giants as Google Faces Massive Penalty
A Moscow court has ordered Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, to pay **8 billion roubles ($78 million)** for failing to remove banned content, escalating a years-long clash over online regulation. 🇷🇺 This marks one of the largest fines imposed under Russia’s strict tech compliance laws, which require foreign platforms to delete material deemed illegal by authorities.
⚠️ Analysts say the move reflects Moscow’s broader campaign to control digital spaces, which has led to repeated fines and even service slowdowns for platforms like Meta and Twitter. While previous penalties were smaller, experts warn the latest fine signals growing pressure on global tech firms to comply—or exit the market.
💡 Fun fact: Russia’s digital watchdog has blocked over 5,000 websites since 2021! How’s that for internet governance? 🖥️
