A Russian court has fined Apple and Wikipedia for their alleged failure to remove content that the government deems to be fake news relating to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Apple was fined 400,000 rubles (around €4,000) for hosting material on Apple Podcasts that was considered false, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS. Similarly, Wikipedia was fined 3 million rubles (around €29,000) for the same offense.
Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor had previously notified both companies that they needed to remove content believed to be “aimed at destabilizing the political situation” within the country. While this is the first time Apple has been fined for this offense, the Wikimedia Foundation (which owns Wikipedia) has faced multiple fines in the past. In fact, in April, the company was reportedly fined for the seventh time for hosting “banned content” related to the Russian military.
As a response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Apple took measures to limit its services in the country. This included pausing the sale of all its products in Russia and placing restrictions on Apple Pay services. Both Apple and Wikipedia have been contacted by POLITICO for comment on the fines.
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