Google Fined $164,000 For Failing To Store User Data Inside Russia

Moscow court fined Google 15 million roubles ($164,000) on Tuesday in an ongoing spat between global tech corporations and Russian authorities. Google was penalised because it consistently refused to hold customer data from Russians on Russian servers.

This most recent development is a part of the continuous conflict between internet companies and Russia over matters like local representation, content restriction, data storage, and storage. Following Moscow's military incursion in Ukraine in February 2022, tensions increased even more.

Due to its refusal to comply with Moscow's demands, which included removing content considered unlawful and limiting access to specific Russian media on its YouTube video-sharing site, Google's Russian business has been under increasing pressure. The Russian division of the computer firm filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2022 when authorities seized its bank account, making it unable to pay its employees and suppliers. This was only one of the company's many problems.

While the Kremlin has taken a firm stand and outlawed social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, it hasn't yet restricted access to Google's services. Google's search engine and YouTube platform are still available for free in Russia despite the ongoing disagreements.

Meanwhile, Google has also revamped the whole design of its Drive application and has made some swift changes to the accessibility buttons. It started rolling out on November 5 and if you still have not received it, you will be getting it soon.

Further, Google has also introduced the ability to add GIFs in the Google Slides in order to make the slides more attractive and conversational.