A court in Moscow has fined Apple for failing to localize the storage of personal data of its users amid a Russian government campaign to tighten state control over the Internet.
On July 12, the Magistrates Court in the Taganka district ordered Apple to pay 2 million rubles ($32,000). It was the first time the U.S.-based tech giant had been fined for allegedly refusing to store the data of Russian citizens on Russian territory.
In recent months, Russian courts have fined Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, and TikTok over the personal-data issue, as well as for refusing to delete content deemed to be banned by Russian laws.
President Vladimir Putin has accused social-media platforms and other foreign-based tech companies of flouting the country's Internet laws, including a push seeking to force foreign firms to open offices in Russia.
Many critics say the push has nothing to do with "Internet integrity" and instead accuse the authorities of trying to quell dissent.