Google gets fined more in Russia than anywhere else in the world.
A Russian court fined Google two undecillion roubles, which is equivalent to two plus thirty-six zeroes, for limiting access to Russian state media stations on YouTube. Even though it is among the richest corporations in the world, its value is far more than Google’s $2 trillion.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that the global GDP is $110 trillion, although it is far higher. According to Tass, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, acknowledged that he “cannot even pronounce this number” but asked “Google management to pay attention.” the firm has not made any public comments.
An exquisite mess
RBC, a Russian media organization, reports that the Google fine is related to the YouTube content restriction of 17 Russian media networks.
This began in 2020, but two years later, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it intensified. Following the declaration of bankruptcy of its local subsidiary in 2022, Google ceased providing its commercial services, including advertising, in Russia.
Nonetheless, the nation does not outright forbid its goods.
The most recent escalation between Russia and the US tech behemoth is this development.
In May 2021, Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media watchdog, charged Google with promoting “illegal protest activity” and limiting YouTube access to Russian media sites like Sputnik and RT.
The ‘bias machine’: How Google presents you with the information you want to hear
An item from the Associated Press titled “Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president” was followed by similar links. However, you may instead inquire whether Harris is a “bad” Democratic candidate if you’ve been hearing nasty things about her. Although the question is essentially the same, Google’s findings are much more negative. The same contradiction is seen in inquiries concerning Donald Trump, conspiracy theories, divisive political discussions, and even medical data. Google is simply repeating your own opinions back to you, according to some experts. Along the way, you can strengthen societal divisions and your prejudices.
The biased machine
According to Sarah Presch, digital marketing director at Dragon Metrics, a platform that assists businesses in optimizing their websites for greater visibility from Google through techniques known as “search engine optimization” or SEO, “Google’s entire goal is to give people the information that they want, but sometimes the information that people think they want isn’t the most useful.”
According to a Google representative, when the filter bubble bursts, a 2023 study found that consumers are more likely to be exposed to biased content because that is what they click on than because Google is providing it. In a way, that is how confirmation bias operates: people seek out material that confirms their opinions while disregarding evidence to the contrary.
Philosophical issues
If you want to get results that represent a variety of opinions from sources across the internet, it’s simple, according to a Google representative. They contend that’s accurate notwithstanding some of the instances that Presch mentioned.
Use queries like “Is Kamala Harris a good Democratic candidate” to scroll farther down and uncover links that attack her. Since users are less likely to interact with links lower down the results page, this depends on visitors looking past the first few results. Regarding hypertension linked to coffee and the British tax system