Wikimedia receives repercussions from Russia:
The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, was cited by Russia’s communications watchdog on Wednesday for breaking the law in relation to the war in Ukraine. According to a statement from Roskomnadzor, search engines would be used to alert users that Wikipedia was in violation of Russian legislation since it continued to host “prohibited information, including fakes about the course of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine.” The restrictions, according to Roskomnadzor, will be in force until Wikimedia Foundation complies fully with Russian legislation.
Shortly after the Kremlin ordered tens of thousands of troops to deploy to the country on February 24, Russia unveiled comprehensive new legislation on the sharing of information regarding the crisis in Ukraine.
Days have passed since Russia penalised Google before the announcement. The country’s telecommunications regulator announced on Monday that a Moscow court had fined Google RUB 21 billion (almost Rs. 2,900 crore) for failing to remove content pertaining to Russia’s military incurs
According to Roskomnadzor, YouTube, which is owned by Google, did not contain anything “inviting children to take part in unlawful demonstrations,” “extremist and terrorist propaganda,” or “false information” about the crime committed in Ukraine.
As this was Google’s second conviction, according to the regulator, the fine was determined by the company’s yearly revenue in Russia.
The Russian government has escalated pressure on international social media businesses in recent years through repeated fines and threats as one of the only remaining venues for free speech in the country.
Google has left the Russian market to protest Russia’s military action in Ukraine, like the majority of its Western competitors.
Vladimir Zykov, a specialist cited by the Russian news source Ria-Novosti, asserts that the amount is the highest ever imposed by a Russian court against a Western technology business.
The Russian government may impose “as many fines as they like” on Google because it has left the country, he added.
