Roskomnadzor, Russia's communications regulator, announced on Friday that it had initiated administrative proceedings against Alphabet Inc's Google and six other international technology firms for suspected violations of personal data regulations.
Since Russia pushed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Moscow has fought with Big Tech over content, censorship, data, and local representation in a simmering disagreement that has exploded into a full-fledged information fight.
Russia penalized Google 3 million roubles ($46,540) last year for failing to store Russian customers' data in databases on Russian soil, and said on Friday that it has initiated a fresh investigation due to Google's "continuous failure to comply with Russian legislation."
Roskomnadzor said Google, which declined to comment, might face a punishment of 6-18 million roubles.
The regulator also stated that it has initiated cases against six additional businesses – Airbnb, Pinterest, Likeme, Twitch, Apple, and United Parcel Service – for suspected first-time offenses carrying a 1-6 million rouble penalties.
