Russian court fines WhatsApp 3 mln rubles for not removing prohibited information

MOSCOW. June 1 (Interfax) - A justice of the peace in Moscow has imposed a 3-million-ruble administrative fine on the WhatsApp messaging service for not removing prohibited information, an Interfax correspondent reported from the court.

"WhatsApp LLC is to be penalized with a 3-million-ruble administrative fine," Justice of the Peace of Judicial District No. 422 in Moscow's Tagansky district Timur Vakhrameyev said in his judgement.

The messaging service was found guilty of not removing prohibited information.

According to the materials of the administrative proceeding that were read out in court, the service has failed to remove information about the distribution of the banned drug Lyrica, which the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare detected in a chat.

This is the first time WhatsApp has been fined for such a violation.