Russia's Roskomnadzor media watchdog has filed suits against Alphabet's Google and Meta's Facebook that could see them fined at much as 10 percent of their local revenue.
The Magistrates Court in Moscow’s Taganka district said on December 3 that the cases originally were filed against the two companies in October over their repeated failure to delete content that Russia considers illegal.
The court added that it will hold hearings into the cases on December 24.
Roskomnadzor has been filing cases against Google, Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok since February, saying the social media giants had failed to remove content that Russian authorities consider illegal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused social media platforms and other tech giants of flouting the country's Internet laws, including a push to force foreign firms to open offices in Russia and store Russians' personal data on its territory.
Many critics say the push has nothing to do with "Internet integrity" and instead accuse the authorities of trying to quell dissent.
Social media companies have already been fined hundreds of millions of rubles for content violations.
Russian Media Watchdog Files Cases Against Meta And Google
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Putin Sends Signals To The West On Ukraine Ahead Of Trump's New Term
2Kyiv Says It Broke Up Russian Spy Network Targeting F-16 Fighter Data
3Assad Breaks Silence, Says He Left Syria As Russian Base Came Under Attack
4The Moment A Russian General Was Killed By A Scooter Bomb In Moscow
5What Would The Russian Capture Of Pokrovsk Mean For The Ukraine War?
6'They Look Tense': Photographer Describes Scenes At Russian Base In Syria
7Russia Moving Military Assets To Africa After Syria Setback
8U.S., U.K. Say Medvedev's Comment Calling NATO Officials 'Legitimate Targets' Irresponsible
9Russian General Charged With Chemical Weapons Use In Ukraine Killed In Blast Claimed By Kyiv
10Drones Strike Buildings In Russian City Of Kazan
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
