Moscow: The tension between Russia and American tech company Google has reached a new level. Recently, a Russian court has imposed a huge fine of 20 decillion dollars on Google, which is 2 followed by 34 zeros. This amount is so huge that even the economy of the whole world cannot cover it.
Russsian court has imposed a staggering $20 decillion fine—a 2 followed by 34 zeroes—on Google, targeting its subsidiary YouTube for blocking Russian state-backed media in response to the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The astronomical figure dwarfs any known financial measure, far exceeding the global economy’s scale.
The penalty stems from a Russian court’s ruling that Google violated local broadcasting regulations by barring several Russian state-affiliated media channels on YouTube. Alongside the fine, the court has demanded that these channels be restored, doubling the penalty each day YouTube fails to comply within a nine-month window.
The controversy began when YouTube imposed a global ban on Russian state media channels, such as RT and Sputnik, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022. YouTube accused these channels of misrepresenting violent events, leading Russia to challenge it in court.
The symbolic significance of the fine
Although the amount of the fine is impossibly large, Russia considers it a symbolic measure. Its purpose is to show how seriously Russia takes the ban imposed by YouTube. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the goal of this decision is to draw the attention of the international community to the seriousness of the issue.
This is not the first time that Russia has fined Google. Since 2020, Google is being fined $1,000 a day for banning Russian media outlets. 17 Russian media broadcasters have appealed to the court, demanding to resume the broadcasting of their channels.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Google restricted many of its operations in Russia, although services such as YouTube and Google Search are still active. This technological confrontation between Russia and the US has escalated since the Ukraine war.
Will Google have to pay this amount?
Experts believe that this huge fine is symbolic and Google will not have to pay it. Its purpose is to put pressure on Google so that it considers lifting the ban imposed on Russian channels.
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