Internet giant Google has received a large fine from a Russian court after it blocked content from the nation’s state media networks on its video publishing platform, YouTube.
The total sum of legal claims against Google reached two undecillion rubles ($313 nonillion or $313,871,979,999,999,962,932,929,332,510,720), according to the Russian news outlet RBK — a figure higher than all the money in the world combined.
In the United States one undecillion is a one followed by 36 zeros, however in Britain it is a one followed by 66 zeros.
That amount is far larger than the net worth of Google itself, which is currently worth $US2.1 trillion ($3.2 trillion), and higher than all the money in the world combined.
The Kremlin said Thursday that Russia’s huge fines imposed on Google were largely symbolic and designed to spur the internet giant into lifting restrictions on Russian YouTube channels.
“I can’t even pronounce this number, but it is more likely imbued with symbolism,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.
“Google should not restrict the actions of our broadcasters, but it does. This should be a reason for Google’s management to pay attention to this and correct the situation,” he said.
Since launching its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, Russia has levied huge fines on social media companies accused of hosting Kremlin-critical or pro-Ukraine content.
YouTube is still available in Russia but authorities have repeatedly threatened to take it offline over its bans on state-owned Russian content.
Russian courts have repeatedly fined YouTube’s owner Google in a bid to force the tech giant into compliance, with the legal costs multiplying each day it fails to carry out Moscow’s demands.
