19th May 2023 – (Moscow) WhatsApp could face a fine of up to 4 million roubles (approximately US$51,500) in Russia after being accused of failing to delete prohibited content, according to a Moscow court cited by state-owned news agency RIA on Friday.
Although WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta Platforms, was banned in Russia last year as an “extremist” organisation, the popular messenger app has not previously faced legal action for failing to remove prohibited information. The report did not specify what content WhatsApp allegedly failed to delete, but stated that the case was initiated by communications regulator Roskomnadzor.
Russia has introduced strict military censorship laws, under which technology firms like Google, Wikipedia, and Discord have been fined, as it continues its military campaign in Ukraine.