Twitch fined $57,000 by Russia over “fake information”

A Russian court has fined Twitch $57,000 after the Amazon-owned company refused to remove “fake information” related to the war in Ukraine.

On January 31, a judge in Moscow’s Tagansky district imposed a fine on Twitch after it failed to pull content off the platform.

Interfax reports that the allegedly “fake” info was in regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine such as its general mobilization and civilian casualties.

Additionally, the court factored in Twitch’s decision to not remove an interview with ex-lawyer Mark Feigin, who Russia has designated as a foreign agent, and former advisor to the Ukrainian Presidential Office Alexei Arestovich.

“Find Twitch Interactive Inc. guilty of an administrative offense and impose a fine of 4 million rubles,” the judge told the court. 4 million rubles translates to $56,669.28 USD.

This isn’t the first time that Twitch has been taken to court over its decisions. Back in 2021, the streaming site was ordered to pay $20,000 in damages after it permanently banned James ‘PhantomL0rd’ Varga.

In 2022, Dr Disrespect also took Twitch to court after he was mysteriously banned. The two-time and Twitch would end up settling their legal dispute. The reason for the ban and the settlement remains unknown to this day.

Dexerto has reached out to Twitch for comment.