Banned from Google
Russia has fined Google more than two undecillion roubles because Google has refused to pay fines for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube.
Is Google going bankrupt? Not really, but after the recent news of the Russian government fining the tech giant Google for its refusal to pay fines for blocking Russian channels on YouTube is certainly something worth discussing. The reason why is that the fine imposed by the Russian government is so ridiculous that it isn’t even comprehensible for some – Google has been fined more than $20 decillion dollars. Two with 36 zeroes if that makes it easier for you – more than the amount of money currently circulating in the world’s economy.
Russia has had a long feud with the U.S. – after Russia invaded Ukraine, though, things got even more sour. In 2022, Russia banned Meta (Facebook) and Instagram for being extremist organizations, and the same went for Instagram. This time, the time for Google Russia has come, too!
It all started when Google started banning pro-Russian channels on YouTube: Russia has since then ordered Google to either restore the channels or face monetary penalties that will double every week.
According to some sources, the Russian government and lawmakers themselves understand the stupidity of such a figure for a fine, and they find themselves under increasing risk of Russia being banned from Google. According to them, it’s a symbolic sum meant to show Google and other Western tech giants across the world what may happen if they ban pro-Russian channels and revoke Russia from its ability to spread messages in favor of the government. The fine may as well be revoked (or, rather, made smaller), but the problem remains.
Aside from Russia banned from Google possibility, Russia has also banned advertising on Meta (Facebook) and Instagram, too – now, advertisements on “prohibited resources” (meaning Meta, Instagram, and other services banned by the Russian government) are banned too. Individuals aren’t allowed to run any advertisements, and businesses aren’t allowed to pay for any advertisements on these platforms, either. Some say that it’s not even clear whether Russian users will retain the right to self-advertise (i.e. talk about their products on social media) either.
We’re getting to a point where the Russian government either demands companies to act on their notice and delete/modify things according to their wishes or face penalties or termination. This is a double-edged sword: some companies are deleting things based on the notice of the Russian government – such companies include Steam, there also have been rumors about Apple removing VPNs based on the notice of the Russian government (VPNs allow people to access restricted content and if they’re banned, people cannot do that anymore) and things like that, but all this also means that companies targeted by Russia have two possible outcomes:
As far as the situation with Google Russia goes, it may put Russia in an even worse situation than it is now because Google could simply stop providing its services to people based in Russia. Know those registration forms where you sometimes have to select what country you’re from and there’s no North Korea, Iran, or other countries on the list? Russia may well put itself in these shoes and be banned from Google.
Apart from fining Google and banning Meta, Russia is also introducing new laws for influencers where if you’re an influencer, you would have to submit your information to Russia’s internet watchdog – the Roskomnadzor – and undergo heavy scrutiny for your actions. There is talk about Roskomnadzor wanting to watch over what everyone’s doing and keep tabs on every Russian influencer, presumably to “keep them in line.” Starting from November 1, 2024, Roskomnadzor will have a database of influencers that reach 10,000 users or more – such people are obliged to register in the registry.
Those who won’t register themselves in the Roskomnadzor database won’t be able to receive donations, provide any links to any pages that would help them collect donations, or post their bank information for donating if necessary. Other influencers will also not be allowed to repost content from influencers who haven’t registered themselves on Roskomnadzor either.
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Russia has fined Google for $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 for it refusing to comply with Russia’s orders to re-instate pro-Russian channels on YouTube that are banned from Google.
It’s not clear yet, but don’t be surprised if Google cuts off its services to users based in Russia altogether – Russia banned from Google is not that far off.
To protect yourself from account takeover, credential stuffing, and other attacks, consider using the BreachDirectory data breach search engine, and if you represent an educational institution, law enforcement, or a company, grab access to the BreachDirectory API to protect your users, clients, visitors, and everyone in between.
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