Russian court fines Telegram over $142,000 for law breaches

A Moscow court has fined the messaging app Telegram more than 11 million rubles ($143,000) for failing to comply with rules on restricted information in Russia.

The Tagansky District Court issued the penalty under Article 13.41 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences, the city’s courts press service reported.

The court found that Telegram did not remove content inciting extremist activity, resulting in a fine of 7 million rubles ($91,000).

In addition, posts containing knowingly false information about the Russian armed forces, as well as content relating to the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and personal data, were not taken down, leading to a further fine of 3.8 million rubles ($49,400).

On February 10, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor intensified measures to slow access to Telegram. The authority warned that restrictions would continue unless the platform hosted servers in Russia and complied with local legislation.

Roskomnadzor’s core demands remain unchanged: protecting citizens’ personal data and taking steps to combat terrorism and fraud.

By Aghakazim Guliyev