Russia has fined the messaging platform Telegram 7 million rubles (around $67,000) for providing access to certain banned content. The fine was issued by a Moscow court on Monday after Telegram was found guilty of violating Russian laws.

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This penalty follows previous actions against several other foreign tech companies, including Apple, Google, TikTok, and Facebook, for similar offenses involving restricted content.

Earlier, on August 13, a Moscow court also fined Telegram 4 million rubles (about $44,130) for not removing "banned information." The Taganka District Court made the decision, but details regarding the specific content Telegram failed to delete were not disclosed. The announcement about the ruling was made on the Telegram channel of Moscow’s courts.

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Australia Proposes Ban on Kids Under 16 from Using Social Media: Will It Be Effective?In 2021, Facebook faced a fine of $230,000 for not deleting content that was labeled illegal under Russian regulations.

Meanwhile, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that social media companies will be required to delete personal data used to verify users' ages. This is part of a new measure aimed at enforcing a ban on social media use for individuals under the age of 16, which the government claims is a groundbreaking policy.

To enforce this age restriction, Australia is planning to test an age-verification system that could involve biometrics or government-issued IDs. These measures would represent some of the strictest social media controls implemented by any nation so far.

Also Read: Australia to Require Social Media Platforms to Address Online Harm