A Russian court has fined Google 4. 6 billion rubles (€45. 7 million) for refusing to remove LGBTQ content from YouTube sites across the country. Google’s refusal goes against the Russian government’s demands that the tech giant remove “disinformation” surrounding the country’s current policy. war with Ukraine, as well as Google’s demands to remove LGBTQ content in accordance with Russia’s ban on “LGBT propaganda. “
The ruling comes from Moscow’s Tagansky Court, which ruled against Google on Wednesday, Dec. 20. According to a report via Forbes, the court claimed that YouTube had refused to remove LGBTQ content from its site. The court also said YouTube allegedly failed to remove “false” content about the country’s “military special operations,” referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
A Russian state-owned news agency, RIA Novosti, reported that prosecutors claimed that YouTube videos containing LGBTQ+ content sought to convince “minors to commit illegal acts.”
While it remains unclear exactly what these ‘illegal acts’ were, similar language has been weaponised against the transgender community, claiming that the visibility of trans individuals and lifestyles will somehow result in more minors identifying as trans.
The €47. 5 million fine imposed on Google is the largest fine ever imposed by the Russian government for violating its “LGBT propaganda” laws.
In addition, in a ruling last month, Russia’s Supreme Court called the “global LGBTQ movement” an “extremist” organization. As a result of this decision, Russian law enforcement began cracking down on LGBTQ venues and advocacy agencies across the country. Under the new policy, those who participate in or fund LGBTQ events, venues, or organizations can be prosecuted and, as a result, face up to 12 years of criminal conviction.
The anti-LGBTQ law has been in place in Russia since 2013, when President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning the dissemination of “propaganda” similar to “non-traditional sexual relations” between minors. This included banning all bureaucracy of positive representation of LGBTQ Americans. and lifestyles. In 2022, the ban was expanded to apply to all citizens, adding adults.
The effective ban on any kind of positive LGBTQ content on TV, online, or in other bureaucratic media earned Google a €35,000 fine earlier this year for violating the ban.
These are just the latest in a long list of fines Google has received through Russian courts, adding a €72. 5 million fine in 2021 for data on the Russian military, as well as a €216. 8 million fine in 2022. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has pulled all of its workers out of the country in reaction to the ongoing fines.
Despite the continued fines levied at Google and its subsidiary YouTube, neither the search engine nor the video streaming platform have been banned in Russia. Meanwhile, platforms like Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram have been formally blocked by the Russian government.
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