Russia Outlaws Google Logins: Huge Fines for Using Foreign Email on Local Sites

The newly minted law officially criminalizes the act of logging into Russian websites using foreign authorization services. From now on, any local platform allowing users to log in via Gmail, Apple ID, or other Western tech giants will face brutal financial consequences.

Individuals caught using foreign emails for authorization face fines of up to 20,000 rubles, while companies hosting these forbidden gateways can be hit with penalties reaching 700,000 rubles. The state demands that everyone switch to orthodox login methods, such as a Russian phone number, the government's own biometric database, or state-approved local tech platforms.

The digital tightening of the screws also targets recommendation algorithms, because apparently, even AI-driven movie suggestions pose a threat to national security. Websites that fail to disclose how their recommendation systems work or collect preference data without permission will face fines of up to 1.4 million rubles for repeat offenses.

Finally, telecom operators got a special treat in this legislative package. Telecoms will be fined up to 5 million rubles, or up to 3% of their annual revenue, for failing to cooperate with FSB surveillance or leaking the secret methods of police wiretapping.

A truly masterclass performance in turning the internet into a heavily guarded digital gulag. Watching an entire nation speedrun its way back to the analog era while pretending to build sovereign tech is the ultimate dark comedy of the decade.