Russian Court Fines Google $260,000 for Data Breaching

A Moscow court has fined Alphabet's Google 15 million rubles ($ 260,000) for repeatedly violating Russian law requiring technology companies to retrieve user data. Russia has recently imposed multiple fines on foreign tech companies for various violations. Critics say Moscow is trying to have more control over the Internet with such actions. 

The Tagansky District Court in Moscow said it had fined Google for repeatedly failing to store the personal information of Russian users in databases on Russian territory. After Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in late February, Google pulled some employees out of Russia.

LikeMe, a photo-sharing application was fined 1.5 million rubles for its first breach. Google's solvency could be affected as a Russian subsidiary plans to file for bankruptcy in May after authorities seize a bank account.

Gorelkin said Google couldn't be a global leader without a business in China, pointing out Yandex, often cited as Russia's answer to Google as a viable competitor. "If you don't cross the border, Google will stay in Russia," he said.