By Maria Ravani,
Somewhere between the recent US political drama, the different wars happening in various places of the globe and the chaos of our daily routine, another news story came, as more of a joke than actual news. Russia, the “peaceful” and level-headed giant, fined Google, the tech giant an amount so extraordinary, which is –literally– non-existent. The fine was indeed so over this world, that it exceeds the global GDP.
The news broke out about two weeks ago, when a Russian court decided to fine Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 for restricting Russian state YouTube channels from advertising. What was Google’s response? Obviously none, since all these looks more like a joke than an actual threat, however, Russian officials that have commented on the case, advise Google to “pay attention”.
The fine that was heard (and probably laughed at) all around the world is not something completely out of the blue. Firstly, because it is a fine that works cumulatively, which means that as time goes by, the fine will only get bigger. Google has been in cahoots with Russia for a while now and the company has severed all ties with the offices that it has in the country years before the fine. Also, the Russian government has previously threaten Google on multiple occasions about banning YouTube, especially if pro-Ukrainian content is broadcasted freely on the site, an issue that arose after the invasion of Russia to Ukraine.
Google is not the only western company that has faced the wrath of the Russian state and the menace that is known as “President Putin”. Twitter and Facebook have also been fined in previous years for failing to comply with the country’s data retention laws. Another big website, LinkedIn is also banned in Russia and as the government has made crystal clear, they do not intend to lift that ban anytime soon. Telegram was banned for two years and Tiktok is strictly monitored regarding its content.
China and Russia has pushed the agenda on “Internet sovereignty” for a few years now and the European Union is watching from a distance, cautious. With both powerful players launching their own apps instead of US-owned apps and fighting the big fight with corporations like Apple or Samsung, both countries have chosen a strict and unwavering model when it comes to monitoring the Internet. Of course, the freedom of the Internet is closely related to the freedom of speech that the media outlets have in these countries, where rights violations are constantly been reported.
Russia has proven a few times that nothing is beyond reach and everything can be possible –no matter how delusional an idea can be. From starting –and still continuing– an actual war on European ground to meddling in other countries inside business (especially the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union) and then trying to “control” the Internet, one of the most uncontrollable things existing in our world right now. But leave it to Putin and his underlings (and now maybe Trump and his team?) to surprise the rest of the world with an obscure –and sometimes crazy– idea…
References
- Russia fines Google more money than there is in entire world. BBC.com. Available here
- List of websites and apps blocked in Russia. Comparitech.com. Available here
- Russia says $20 decillion fine against Google is ‘symbolic’. The Guardian. Available here
- Russia fines Google more than the world’s total GDP over YouTube bans. Euronews. Available here
- How Isolated is the Russian Internet? Consequences of the war in Ukraine. Internet Society Pulse. Available here
- Russia Is Trying to Leave the Internet and Build Its Own. Scientificamerican. Available here
- Russia wants to isolate its internet, but experts warn it won’t be easy. The Cord. Available here
- UN Avoids Surrendering the Internet to Russia and China — For Now. CEPA. Available here
