Russian Court Fines Google Sum Exceeding The World’s Total GDP For Restricting State Media

In a dramatic escalation of tensions between Russia and the US-based tech giant Google, a Russian court has imposed a nearly unimaginable fine on the company: two undecillion roubles—a figure represented by a two followed by 36 zeroes.

Translated to dollar terms, this sum stands at an astonishing $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, far surpassing Google’s estimated value of $2 trillion and even exceeding the world’s total GDP, which the International Monetary Fund estimates at $110 trillion.

The fine is in response to Google’s restriction of 17 Russian state media channels on its platform YouTube. While these restrictions began in 2020, they intensified after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting most Western companies to exit Russia due to business restrictions and sanctions. This move also led to retaliatory measures from Moscow, including Russia’s ban on many Western platforms and a crackdown on local Google operations.

The Russian state news agency Tass reports that the fine doubles each day it goes unpaid. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the staggering figure, humorously admitting, “I cannot even pronounce this number,” while still urging Google to “pay attention” to the court’s demands. So far, Google has declined to comment publicly or respond to media requests.

This record-setting fine underscores the long-standing and contentious relationship between Russia and Google. Back in 2021, Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, accused Google of censoring Russian media, including RT and Sputnik, and allegedly promoting “illegal protest activity.” The following year, Google was fined 21.1 billion roubles ($301 million) for failing to limit access to information Russia deemed “prohibited,” including content related to the Ukraine conflict.

The situation reveals the extreme measures Russia is willing to take against foreign tech companies as it continues to tighten control over information within its borders. This latest fine against Google highlights the severe constraints on press freedom in Russia, where independent news outlets are either banned or heavily restricted.

Melissa Enoch

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