Moscow Court Fines TikTok $340,000 for Failure to Delete Information on Protests

The 422 district court of Moscow has fined TikTok 2.6 million rubles ($340,000) over its systematic failure to delete illegal information, including about unauthorized rallies that took place across Russia earlier this year, the court’s press office said on Tuesday.

“TikTok Pte.Ltd was found guilty … under Part 2 of Article 13.41 of the Administrative Offenses Code of Russia. A penalty was imposed in the form of an administrative fine of 2.6 million rubles,” the court’s spokesperson said.

Today, the court was also supposed to start considering two cases against Telegram Messenger Inc., but the hearings were postponed due to the absence of the parties.

Hundreds of people were detained during unauthorized protests which took place across Russia in January and February. The protesters took to the streets in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny who was detained upon his arrival in Moscow from Germany where he had been undergoing medical treatment after an alleged poisoning with a nerve agent.