Russia on Friday, July 31, launched administrative proceedings against Facebook’s WhatsApp for what it stated was a failure to localize data of Russian users on Russian territory, the Interfax news agency reported.
A day earlier, a Russian court fined Alphabet’s Google 3 million roubles for violating personal data legislation and registered administrative proceedings against Facebook and Twitter for the same offence.
The cases are part of a wider spat between Russia and Big Tech, with Moscow routinely fining social media giants for failing to remove banned content and seeking to compel foreign tech firms to open offices in Russia.
WhatsApp could be fined between 1 million and 6 million roubles (US$13,700 to US$82,250), Interfax reported, citing court documents.
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