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Russian media watchdog to impose turnover-based fine on Facebook for the first time

Roskomnadzor drew up an administrative protocol for a repeated violation of the procedure for restricting access to files containing banned information in Facebook and Instagram social networks

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Russia’s media watchdog will use a turnover-based fine against Facebook for the first time due to the company’s refusal to delete banned content, the watchdog’s press service reported on Tuesday.

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"Roskomnadzor (Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media - TASS), in the presence of a representative of Facebook Inc, drew up an administrative protocol for a repeated violation of the procedure for restricting access to files containing banned information in Facebook and Instagram social networks (owned by Facebook)," the press service said.

"The watchdog will submit the protocol to the court, which will determine the date of the hearing. For such an offense committed repeatedly, the American IT giant faces a fine in the amount of one-twentieth to one-tenth of its annual revenue. The exact amount of the fine will also be determined by the court," the press service added.

In order to prove the guilt of Facebook, the protocol provides links to nine pieces of content. The regulator noted that since 2019 it had sent more than 110 notifications to the IT giant (60 notifications regarding four pieces of content on Facebook and 53 notifications regarding five publications on Instagram).

After the company was summoned to the department to draw up a protocol providing for the imposition of a turnover-based fine, the moderators of Facebook and Instagram deleted the nine publications indicated in the protocol.

"However, according to Russian law, the company is obliged to do this within 24 hours after receiving a notification from Roskomnadzor. Repeated violation of the access restriction procedure can be met with turnover-based fines," the regulator’s press service said.

Over 1,000 dangerous publications yet to be removed

The regulator said that the publications contained in the protocol are a small part of the social media content that violates Russian law.

"Currently, 1,043 publications are still to be deleted on Facebook (7,600 notifications sent) and 973 - on Instagram (3,500 notifications sent)," the press service noted.

Among the publications Facebook and Instagram have not limited access to the posts that incite religious discord, offend the feelings of believers or are aimed at splitting the state, publications about the use of drugs, places where homemade weapons are sold, about a dangerous attitude to the life and health of minors, as well as about extremist and terrorist organizations.

In total, in 2021, the Russian media watchdog has already drawn up 20 protocols against Facebook for violating the procedure for removing malicious content. The court imposed fines in the total amount of about 70 million rubles ($967,992). The court decisions for 43 million rubles ($636,109) of this amount have already come into force. The Facebook administration has not paid those fines.

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