On December 24, 2021, a court in Moscow fined Alphabet's Google 7.2 billion rubles ($98 million) for what it said was a repeated failure to delete content Russia deems illegal. Russian authorities have increased pressure on American tech firms this year, accusing them of not moderating their content properly, and interfering in the country's internal affairs. Hours after the Google verdict was announced, a 2 billion rubles ($27 million) fine was handed to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, for similar content-related offenses. Many critics say the move is an attempt by Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the Internet and quell dissent. The government said the move would help Russian tech firms compete with foreign rivals.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 25, 2021 16:40 UTC