Russia: WhatsApp faces its first ‘banned content’ fine in Russia, here’s why – Times of India
A Russian court has imposed a fine of 3 million roubles (nearly $37,000) on WhatsApp for not deleting banned content. According to a report by Reuters, this is the first fine of the Meta-owned instant messaging platform in Russia for such an offence. Previously, the messenger app which is widely popular in the country has never faced penalties for failing to remove prohibited information.
In 2022, Russia banned WhatsApp’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc, citing it as an “extremist” organisation. Other Meta services, including Facebook and Instagram, are also banned in Russia. These social media platforms along with Elon Musk-led micro-blogging site Twitter and Alphabet-owned Google have also been fined over content in the country.
However, this is not the first fine imposed by WhatsApp. Previously, the country fined the messaging service for its alleged refusal to comply with Russian data law. The law asked WhatsApp to store data of Russian on servers situated in the country.
WhatsApp refuses to remove banned content in Russia
As per a report by the RIA news agency, the latest fine was imposed due to WhatsApp’s refusal to remove information about the drug Lyrica. The sale and manufacture of this drug is prohibited in Russia. Meta is yet to comment on the fine
Moscow has locked heads with tech majors over content, censorship, data and local representation for years. These disputes escalated after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine on February 2022.
In 2022, Russia banned WhatsApp’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc, citing it as an “extremist” organisation. Other Meta services, including Facebook and Instagram, are also banned in Russia. These social media platforms along with Elon Musk-led micro-blogging site Twitter and Alphabet-owned Google have also been fined over content in the country.
However, this is not the first fine imposed by WhatsApp. Previously, the country fined the messaging service for its alleged refusal to comply with Russian data law. The law asked WhatsApp to store data of Russian on servers situated in the country.
WhatsApp refuses to remove banned content in Russia
As per a report by the RIA news agency, the latest fine was imposed due to WhatsApp’s refusal to remove information about the drug Lyrica. The sale and manufacture of this drug is prohibited in Russia. Meta is yet to comment on the fine
Moscow has locked heads with tech majors over content, censorship, data and local representation for years. These disputes escalated after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine on February 2022.
WhatsApp’s other data-related fines
In January, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) also imposed a €5.5 million ($5.95 million) fine on WhatsApp. The messaging service was fined for allegedly violating EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the country.
Ireland’s regulatory watchdog ordered WhatsApp to bring its data processing operations into compliance within six months. DPC also threatened to impose a new fine if the messaging platform fails to comply with the order.
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