Topline
The Russian government is attempting to fine Google about $20 decillion, a figure with 34 zeros that’s exponentially larger than the world’s economy, over a decision by YouTube—owned by Google’s parent Alphabet—to block channels run by Russian state-run media, according to Russian officials.
The Kremlin said the fine—totaling more than the global GDP—is “filled with symbolism.”
Key Facts
A Russian court fined Google for “removing channels on the YouTube platform” and ordered the company to restore channels belonging to Russian broadcasters or face unspecified additional fines, which will double every day if not paid within nine months, according to the Russian state-run outlet Tass.
YouTube announced in March 2022 the platform would block channels operated by Russian state-run media—including RT and Sputnik—for publishing content about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that violates the platform’s policies for content that denies, minimizes or trivializes “well-documented violent events.”
The channels were blocked in Europe before they were blocked globally, and more than 1,000 channels and over 15,000 videos were removed within 10 days, according to YouTube, though it is not immediately known how many channels have been removed so far.
Google began accumulating daily fines of 100,000 rubles (about $1,028) in 2020 after Russian state-run outlets Tsargrad and RIA FAN won lawsuits against the company for blocking their YouTube channels, and those fines have since doubled each week, according to Reuters.
About 17 Russian TV channels have reportedly filed lawsuits against Google in Russian courts.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Contra
It’s unlikely Google will pay the fine: The company said in its third-quarter earnings report earlier this week it had “ongoing legal matters relating to Russia,” including compounding penalties that would not have a “material adverse effect.” The 37-digit fine is “full of symbolism,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly said Thursday, and “might become a reason for Google management to pay attention to what is going on and remedy the situation.”
Big Number
$110 trillion. That’s the estimated value of the world’s combined economy, according to the International Monetary Fund, equaling a small fraction of Google’s fine. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has a market valuation of $2.1 trillion as of Thursday’s share price.
Surprising Fact
YouTube became inaccessible to thousands of users in Russia on Aug. 8, though it’s not immediately clear what caused the platform to be blocked, according to Tass. Weeks earlier, Russian lawmakers reportedly said upload speeds to YouTube in Russia would decrease by 70% because the platform “violates and ignores the law with impunity.”
Key Background
A crackdown on Russian media outlets has intensified in recent years, as social media platforms and U.S. officials accuse the outlets of disinformation campaigns—particularly after Russia invaded Ukraine, which was preceded by baseless claims about Ukrainians. The Biden administration accused Russia of election meddling last month through an alleged disinformation campaign that involved state-run outlets ANO Dialog and RT, formerly known as Russia Today. Days later, Meta reportedly announced RT and Rossiya Segodnya would be banned from Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta said in a report earlier this year that Russia remains the largest source of “coordinated inauthentic behavior” on social media platforms, after criticism of the company’s failure to block Russia’s election meddling efforts on its platforms during the 2016 election.