Google will be fined over failure to remove links to prohibited content: Russian telecom watchdog

MOSCOW -- Russia's telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor said Thursday that Google will be fined over its failure to remove links to prohibited resources from search results as requested by Russian legislation.

"Google search engine has not complied with Russian law and will be fined," Roskomnadzor said in a statement.

According to the statement, Roskomnadzor earlier sent a request to Google requesting connection to the Federal State Information System and later recorded an instance of the latter's failure to comply with the requirement.

"The search engine must connect to the Federal State Information System that contains the list of prohibited Internet resources within 30 days upon the request of Roskomnadzor. In three business days, the search engine must begin filtering search results," it said.

Legal entities face administrative liability with a fine varying from 500,000 to 700,000 rubles ($7,600 to $10,600) as a result of non-compliance, the watchdog said.

Search engines operating in Russia are obliged to exclude Internet resources blocked in the country from search results, otherwise they will be liable to fines, according to amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, which were signed into law in June.

Google has three days to reply and send its objection to Roskomnadzor, and after that the watchdog will file an administrative offense report to court, which will make a decision on imposing the fine, Roskomnxdzor's deputy chief Vadim Subbotin was quoted by Sputnik news agency as saying.