Russia fines Google $34 million for breaching competition rules

Jul 27, 2022

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LONDON: Russia’s competitors watchdog fined Alphabet’s Google 2 billion roubles ($34.2 million) on Tuesday for abusing its dominant place within the video internet hosting market, the regulator stated in an announcement.
The choice is the most recent multi-million greenback wonderful as a part of Moscow’s more and more assertive marketing campaign towards overseas tech corporations.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) stated the corporate had “abused its dominant place within the YouTube video internet hosting companies market”, with out offering further particulars.
“We are going to examine the textual content of the official determination to outline our subsequent steps,” Google stated in an announcement to Reuters.
Google should pay the wonderful inside two months of it getting into into drive, the FAS stated.
Russia has slapped Google’s Russian subsidiary with quite a few fines in current months. Final week a courtroom ordered it to pay 21.1 billion roubles ($358.7 million) over what prosecutors stated have been repeated refusals to take away content material Russia deems unlawful, similar to “pretend information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since Moscow launched what it calls its “particular army operation” in Ukraine, it has additionally accelerated assaults on Western tech corporations at house in a push to exert extra management over the net area, together with by way of supporting home gamers to oust their Western rivals.
Gazprom Media – a media conglomerate linked to state-controlled gasoline large Gazprom – has been closely selling RuTube, its Russian various to YouTube, which has seen a pointy uptick in site visitors since February.
YouTube, which has blocked Russian state-funded media globally, is below heavy stress from Russia’s communications regulator and politicians.
Google stopped promoting internet marketing in Russia in early March however has saved some free companies accessible. Its Russian subsidiary formally filed for chapter after authorities seized its checking account, making it not possible to pay employees and distributors.



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