MOSCOW – Russia's communications regulator is considering imposing a fine on Google for failing to remove certain "illegal" videos related to the invasion of Ukraine from the YouTube site.
In a Telegram message, Roskomnadzor warned that if Google commits another offence, it might face a punishment of up to 8 million rubles (USD94,675), which could rise to 20 percent of Google's annual income.
"The American IT company Google's YouTube video hosting has become one of the primary platforms participating in the information war against Russia," the Russian regulator said. "The American platform promotes the spread of fake content including untrustworthy socially significant information regarding the course of a special military operation in Ukraine," it stated.
The regulator went on to say that this "discredits the Russian Federation's Armed Forces, as well as extremist information calling for violent actions against Russian military members."
According to Russian law, the site owner faces administrative accountability if such illicit items are not removed within the specified time frame.
"The fine can be up to 8 million rubles, and if the violation is repeated, the fine can be increased to 20percent of the company's annual sales," Roskomnadzor stated. YouTube has already taken action to stop Russia from invading Ukraine.
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