Twitch, the popular live-streaming platform owned by Amazon, has been issued yet another financial penalty by a Russian court. The Tagansky District Court in Moscow recently imposed a new fine of ₽7 million (approximately $76,000 USD) against the company.
The official reason cited for this latest fine is Twitch`s reported failure to remove content deemed `illegal information` under Russian legislation. The specific violation pertains to the country`s law mandating social networks to self-regulate and delete prohibited material.
In this particular instance, Twitch was not alone. Reports indicate that video-sharing service TikTok and photo-sharing platform Pinterest also received fines of similar amounts for comparable alleged violations of the same regulations.
This new penalty is far from an isolated incident and reinforces a consistent pattern of legal and financial challenges for Twitch within the Russian Federation. The platform has faced increasing scrutiny and a growing list of disputes with authorities and courts over content moderation, user actions, and data handling.
One of the most prominent past conflicts occurred in 2022, stemming from Twitch`s decision to block the account of former professional League of Legends player Kirill `Likkrit` Malofeev. That particular legal battle escalated significantly, resulting in continually increasing daily fines and, notably, the arrest of Twitch`s property within Russia, which was valued at an estimated ₽3 billion (approximately $32.6 million USD). In an interesting turn, Twitch subsequently filed a lawsuit in a US court, seeking to prevent Malofeev from pursuing further legal action against the company within the Russian legal system.
Adding to the recent pressures, just last month, Twitch was also found in violation of Russian legislation concerning personal data. For this offense, the platform was fined an additional ₽13 million (approximately $141,000 USD).
The recurring nature of these substantial fines and legal confrontations underscores the ongoing difficulties faced by international digital platforms in navigating the specific and evolving requirements imposed by Russian law regarding online content, user interactions, and personal data management. For Twitch, it appears that compliance issues in the Russian market continue to translate into significant financial liabilities and legal hurdles.
