A court in Russia has imposed an astronomical fine on tech giant Google for blocking content against Russian media organizations. This is the fine that Google has to pay about 20 decillion announced in dollars and it was stated that it could increase further.

Russia has fined Google $20 decillion

The history of this enormous fine goes back four years. In 2020, YouTube banned ultranationalist Russian channel Tsargrad TV, complying with US sanctions against the channel’s owner. Since then, new channels have been added to the list, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Currently, a total of 17 channels, including Zvezda TV, affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense, have filed a lawsuit against Google.

The court obliged Google, which was prosecuted for alleged violation of the Code of Administrative Offenses under Russian law, to restore these channels on YouTube. According to the decision, if the company does not open the channels, it will have to pay a fine of 100 thousand rubles (about $1,025) per day. This penalty grows exponentially every week and is calculated with compound interest. For this reason, the current total punishment has reached an astonishing level.

However, Google is unlikely to go bankrupt as a result of these fines. Google, which has not operated in Russia since 2022 and whose local operations have been halted due to the seizure of bank accountshas already greatly reduced the country’s working population. Russia’s attempts to seize Google’s assets continue in international courts.

So what do you think about this issue? You can share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.