Increasing Control Levels Following the Invasion of Ukraine
[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] Russia has stepped up pressure by preparing a bill that allows imposing hefty fines on big tech companies that have not established offices in the country.
According to major foreign media on the 5th (local time), the Russian parliament passed a bill that allows foreign big tech companies without offices in Russia to be fined up to 10% of their revenue if they post prohibited content.
In cases of repeated violations, fines can be imposed up to 20% of their revenue.
The Russian government has been strengthening control over foreign big tech companies. After the invasion of Ukraine, the level of control has increased further.
Earlier, starting from July last year, the Russian government mandated foreign social media companies with over 500,000 daily users to establish offices within Russia.
Apple, Spotify, Japan’s e-commerce company Rakuten Group’s messenger Viber, and photo-sharing app LikeMe complied with the regulations. However, Spotify closed its Russian office and suspended local services in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Messenger services Discord, Twitch, Telegram, Pinterest, and the Wikimedia Foundation also did not comply with the Russian government’s demands.
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