Russia fines Google 22.8 million rubles for promoting VPNs on the Play Store

• Russia fined Google 22.8 million rubles for promoting VPNs on Google Play
• Roskomnadzor said the Big Tech giant has ignored removal orders
• VPN access is now a necessity for millions in Russia

A Russian court has fined Google 22.8 million rubles (approximately $298,000) for allegedly promoting VPN services via its app store.

According to the state-run news agency TASS, Moscow’s Tagansky District Court found Google guilty of failing to restrict access to VPN applications on the Google Play Store. Reports indicate that no Google representatives were present at the hearing.

The regulator, Roskomnadzor, presented evidence regarding six specific advertisements that encouraged users to download VPNs. The agency claims Google ignored previous orders to remove the content.