This archive report was first published on 26 August 2021.
On August 26, 2021, Russia's internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, announced that Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp had been fined for violating the country's data storage law.
The penalties come as part of a broader effort by the Russian government to exert control over the internet and foreign tech companies.
According to Roskomnadzor, Facebook was fined 15 million rubles ($200,000) and Twitter 17 million rubles for repeat offenses, while WhatsApp received a four-million-ruble fine for a first-time infraction.
The data storage law, which was passed in 2014, requires the personal data of Russian users to be stored on domestic servers.
Twitter and Facebook were previously penalized for breaking the law in 2020, while Google received its first fine last month.
However, some companies have begun complying with the legislation, including Apple, Microsoft, LG Electronics, Samsung, PayPal, and Booking.com.
Russia has been taking increasing legal action against foreign tech giants, particularly for failing to remove content at the request of Roskomnadzor.
During protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in January, authorities accused internet platforms of interfering in the country's domestic affairs by not deleting posts calling for minors to join the rallies.
