According to the Interfax news agency, Facebook has paid 17 million roubles ($229,643) in fines owed in Russia for failing to erase content that Moscow deems unlawful, but a possibly higher fine looms.
Meta, along with Alphabet’s Google, is set to appear in court next week for alleged persistent violations of Russian content laws, and might be penalized a percentage of its yearly income in Russia.
On Sunday, a request for comment from Facebook was not immediately returned.
In October, Russia dispatched official bailiffs to collect 17 million roubles in fines levied on Facebook.
According to the federal bailiff service’s database, there were no further enforcement procedures against Interfax as of Sunday.
- Ghana has placed travel restrictions on South Korea, Israel, and Malta.
- A US ex-priest was jailed for child sex abuse in East Timor.
Moscow has increased pressure on large tech firms this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens to stifle individual and corporate freedom.
