Russian court imposes $47m fine on Google. 1 other story and a trivia

This line-up of stories will help you discover the latest happenings around the tech world, today.

1. Russian court imposes $47m fine on Google

A Russian court has recently fined Alphabet’s Google $47 million (4 billion roubles) for failing to pay a previous fine related to the alleged abuse of its dominant position in the video hosting market, according to the country’s anti-monopoly watchdog.

This decision is part of Moscow’s increasingly assertive campaign against foreign tech companies, with Google having previously been fined 2 billion roubles in February 2022.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) had criticized Google’s YouTube for its “non-transparent, biased, and unpredictable” approach to suspending and blocking users’ accounts and content.

Google appealed the initial fine, and the company has not yet responded to the recent court ruling.

The FAS stated that the previous fine was doubled due to non-payment.

According to the FAS, Google is now required to pay an additional 4 billion roubles to the Russian Federation’s budget.

The fine must be paid within 60 days, as reported by TASS.

The pressure on YouTube, particularly regarding its blocking of Russian state-funded media globally, has intensified in recent times.

While Russian state bodies and politicians have exerted significant influence, Moscow has refrained from completely blocking the platform, a step that has been taken against other social media giants like Twitter and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.

It’s worth noting that Google suspended its online advertising sales in Russia in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, the company has maintained some of its free services in the country.

Google has not released an official statement regarding the recent court ruling.

It remains to be seen how the company will respond to this fine and navigate its relationship with the Russian market moving forward.

 

TECH TRIVIA: Why has the Telnet protocol mostly been replaced by the SSH protocol?

 

1. SSH uses less data than Telnet
2. SSH is more secure than Telnet
3. SSH is faster than Telnet
4. SSH supports more languages than Telnet

Answer: see end of post

2. TikTok launches creative challenge for end users

TikTok, the popular social media platform, has launched a new feature called Creative Challenge, opening up opportunities for users to collaborate with brands.

This initiative aims to foster partnerships between creators and companies, providing mutual benefits for both parties involved.

According to TikTok, the Creative Challenge is a valuable platform for listening to and understanding the experiences and perspectives of its young user base.

In a recent tweet, TikTok expressed the importance of acknowledging and valuing the experiences of teenagers.

The Creative Challenge is an in-app feature that allows creators to submit video ads for brand challenges and receive rewards based on the performance of their content.

This monetization feature, established by advertisers, is similar to the platform’s Creator Fund.

Submissions should consist of high-quality, well-edited, and original content.

Rewards are influenced by factors such as qualified video views, clicks, and conversions.

While the Creative Challenge model may streamline the process of securing partnerships with brands, payouts may vary based on performance and other factors.

TikTok, however, assures creators that they can submit to as many challenges as they want, as long as openings are available.

Trivia Answer: More secured

Telnet is a protocol for connecting from one computer to another using a text-based command line interface. Telnet connections can be made over a local network or over the Internet.

Information, including user names and passwords, is sent as plain text and can be easily read if intercepted by a third party, so Telnet is no longer widely used. Other protocols, like SSH, are now used instead.

 

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now