Russian Authorities Blocked Google

On Thursday the Russian internet regulator Roskomnadzor have blocked Google.ru as the search engine had a page with a link associated with Russian bookies Fonbet, that is involved in a tax dispute with the Russian government.

The serch engine was blocked for around three hours in the afternoon with a number of internet providers restricting users’ access. As soon as the referring link was withdrawn, Google.ru was again accessible for the Russian users.

Head of internet regulator Roskomnadzor, Alexander Zharov said that Google had been promptly removed from the agency’s list of blacklisted sites as soon as the banned link had been removed.

Russian government had blacklisted Google.ru in the past as a prohibited website when courts ruled that the company had violated the law by pre-installing certain applications on mobile devices. Last year, Members of the Russian State Duma approved the 3rd reading of a bill nicknamed the “Google Tax Law”, requiring foreign IT companies to pay value added tax (VAT) on the sale of online content.