PRESS: Facebook, Twitter said fail to pay 4 mln rbl fines

MOSCOW, May 28 (PRIME) -- U.S. social networks Facebook and Twitter have not paid fines of 4 million rubles for refusal to duly localize storage of Russians’ personal data and risk facing penalties of up to 18 million rubles, but the same problem may pop up, business daily Kommersant reported on Thursday.

Facebook and Twitter failed to fulfil a decision of the magistrate’s court of the Tagansky district of Moscow to pay 4 million rubles in fines each, a source close to the communications service told the daily. The writs of execution were handed over to the court’s officers earlier in May.

Twitter unsuccessfully contested the court’s decision, which came in force on March 16, and the decision regarding Facebook took effect on March 14. The companies had 60 days to pay the fines.

The law that obliges foreign companies to keep data of Russians in Russia stipulates fines for misbehaving companies from 1 million to 6 million and for a repeated violation up to 18 million rubles.

(71.0635 rubles – U.S. $1)

End