Russia imposes fine on Facebook & Twitter for not deleting banned content
On Tuesday, a Court in Russia imposed a fine on Facebook and Twitter for failing to remove content that the country considers illegal. It’s part of Russia’s broader crackdown on the internet and Big Tech corporations.
Details of the case
Facebook received five fines totaling 21 million roubles ($287,850) from the Tagansky district court. Twitter was hit with two fines totaling 5 million roubles.
Russia has pushed for foreign internet businesses to create full-fledged offices in Russia. In its efforts to tighten its grip on the internet, it also wants intermediaries to retain Russians’ data on its soil.
Crackdowns in Russia
The government also announced plans on Tuesday to levy additional taxes on foreign-owned digital services to boost the country’s tech sector. Roskomnadzor, the Russian national communications regulator, began slowing down Twitter’s performance in March, citing the company’s failure to remove forbidden content quickly enough.
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