A Russian court imposed a fine on US messenger service WhatsApp on Thursday for failing to delete banned content.
It was the first time that a fine was imposed on the messaging service.
Russian authorities branded Meta an Extremist last year.
Meta's other platforms were not accessible in Russia.
WhatsApp was punished for failing to remove a chat group that offered an anti-depressant whose sale is forbidden in Russia, according to Russian news agencies. Google, Twitter, TikTok and another messaging app, Telegram, have been fined for failing to delete illegal content in the past. WhatsApp was previously fined for not keeping the data of Russian users on servers located in Russia, which violates local rules.Several are now scouting for alternative ways to connect with customers directly, as the Meta-owned company presses ahead with furthering "monetisation" ofWhatsApp for Business
The story was published on June 2, 2023.
