Russia Fines Google $20 Decillion , More Than World’s GDP
By
OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Google has been fined in Russia for removing Russian TV channels from YouTube. The size of the penalty, however, grew to an unprecedented level for more than four years, since the court case started in Russia against the tech giant.
The violations cost the tech giant 2 undecillion rubles or $20 decillion (a 33-digit figure), according to lawyer Ivan Morozov, cited by Russian state news agency TASS.
To put that into perspective, global GDP reaches an estimated $110 thousand billion (12-digit figure), according to the IMF. So, the fine is far greater than the world’s GDP.
Google, owners of YouTube, has a current stock market value of $2.16 trillion, so probably won’t be spilling out such amount any time soon.
The fine is also still growing due to non-payment and, if not paid within nine months, will start to double up every day, reported state news agency TASS.
The huge fine has grown because Google has not restored YouTube accounts belonging to 17 Russian TV channels, according to Russia’s RBC News.
It claims a judge in the case said at a hearing on 28 October that he was considering “a case in which there are many, many zeros”.
The case was first filed privately in 2020 after the accounts of the Tsargrad TV channel and RIA FAN were blocked due to US sanctions laws, reported RBC.
It then escalated at the beginning of the Ukraine invasion when YouTube blocked accounts belonging to the likes of Sputnik and RT after which Russian authorities were involved.
