Russia has imposed more than the entire world’s GDP fine on Google for blocking state-run media channels from YouTube.
According to Sky News, a Russian court slapped Google with an unbelievable $20.6 decillion fine for removing pro-Vladimir Putin government accounts from YouTube.
$20.6 means two followed by 36 zeros, or, in other way, an undecillion is a trillion times a trillion times a trillion.
The fine is far greater than the total GDP of the world and the current stock market value of the platform.
The International Monetary Fund has estimated the total GDP of the world at $110 trillion, whereas the stock market value of Google is $2.16 trillion.
Moreover, the state news agency, Tass, reported that the fine is increasing every day due to non-payment, and if the platform does not pay the fine within nine months, the fine will be doubled daily.
Another Russian news outlet said that the hefty amount of fine has grown because Google has not restored the YouTube accounts of any of the 17 TV channels.
It is worth noting that Google must comply with the court orders to resume its operation in Russia.
Furthermore, the first case against Google was filed privately in 2020 after the Tsargrad TV channel and RIA FAN accounts were blocked from the platform due to US sanctions laws, but the tension between Russia and Google escalated after its war on Ukraine.