Russian court slaps $36,800 fine on Apple over failure to take down banned content

Moscow’s Tagansky Court fined Apple Distribution International LTD 3.6 million rubles ($36,800) on Wednesday for failing to delete illegal information, according to RIA Novosti.

Russia has reprimanded several foreign corporations for failing to remove content in recent years after Moscow launched its military soldiers into Ukraine in February 2022.

According to the court ruling, Apple ignored the order to remove two podcasts that included material “meant to destabilize the political situation in the Russian Federation.”

Critics have concluded that the Kremlin is attempting to limit the influence of Western technology corporations by fining the corporation 400,000 rubles less than the necessary amount.

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This comes days after it emerged that the European Union is set to hit Apple with a huge fine for breaching its Digital Market Act (DMA) according to a report by Bloomberg.

Citing people familiar with the case, the publication revealed that the tech company will face the first DMA fine- a move which represents an escalation of a clash with regulators over the dominance of its hugely profitable App Store.

The iPhone maker’s failure to permit software developers to direct customers to less expensive offers and deals outside of the software Store has prompted watchdogs to prepare a penalty.