A court in Moscow has again fined the interactive livestreaming application Twitch for failing to delete content from its platform that the Russian government deems illegal as the Kremlin continues to ramp up pressure on social media networks.
The Magistrate Court of the Taganka district ruled on October 17 that Twitch must pay 4 million rubles ($64,300) for failing to take down materials related to Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Less than two weeks ago, the court ordered Twitch to pay a 4 million-ruble fine for its failure to remove materials connected with the war in Ukraine.
Last month, Twitch was fined 2 million rubles on the same charge.
In recent months, Russian courts have fined Twitch, TikTok, Google, Facebook, and Twitter over the personal-data issue, as well as for refusing to delete content deemed to be banned under Russian law.
President Vladimir Putin has accused social media platforms and other foreign-based tech companies of flouting the country's Internet laws. He has been pushing ways to force foreign firms to open offices in Russia and to store data locally.
Many critics have accused the Russian authorities of trying to quell dissent by imposing stricter regulations on Internet companies.
