A Russian court imposed fines of 7.2 billion rubles and 2 billion rubles on Google and Meta on Friday, respectively, for failing to delete banned content. This is the biggest fine issued by the Russian authorities on these two companies as they stepped up their crackdown on foreign technology companies. Russia has stepped up its confrontation with foreign social media and Internet companies this year, and the government described this as a campaign to safeguard its digital sovereignty.
After Russia failed to block the cross-platform instant messaging software Telegram a few years ago, it has become more and more bold in restricting technology companies. According to a 2019 law, the authorities stated that if necessary, Russia will be allowed to completely cut off its connection with the Internet.