This week, the Russian government fined Apple and Alphabet’s Google, the Kremlin’s latest move against U. S. tech giants following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s Federal Antitrust Service said on Tuesday it planned to fine Apple an undetermined amount for alleged antitrust violations, saying Apple “abused its dominant position in the iOS app distribution market,” according to Reuters.
This comes a day after Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor fined Google $374 million, largely for refusing to remove content that deviated from the Kremlin-approved war narrative on its YouTube platform.
While Apple’s fine is directly similar to its actions during the war, it appears to be part of a broader crackdown on the company, as it comes a week after the Russian government fined Apple around $35,000 for alleged knowledge breaches, the first sanction of its kind imposed on Apple in the country. according to the Associated Press.
Apple and Google did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Russia blocked access to Twitter and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook in March following the designation through U. S. social media platforms. UU. de Russian state media, while Apple suspended all sales in Russia at the time. The Russian government fined Meta $27 million and Google $98 million last December for their respective refusals to remove content from their platforms. In March, the Russian parliament passed a law prohibiting reporting the invasion of Ukraine or even discussing true facts about the war, punishable by 15 years in prison. to comply with strict Russian data laws.
Google’s Russian subsidiary said in May it planned to file for bankruptcy after the government confiscated its bank account.
If ever U. S. corporations will be able to The U. S. navy paid the fines. Alphabet and Meta paid thousands of fines to the Russian government last year for content infringement. it does not have the objective of paying.
Google will file for bankruptcy in Russia, to Forbes, a bank account seized through Russian authorities
Putin intensifies new enemies of information: Wikipedia (Forbes)