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Federal Antimonopoly Service imposes a 100,000-ruble penalty on Google for abortion ads

Promoting medical services on induced termination of pregnancy is strictly prohibited in Russia since January 1, 2014

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. The Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has imposed a 100,000-ruble penalty on Google for abortion advertisements. The company, together with a Russian clinic it was advertising, was fined for violating the law that categorically prohibits advertising medical services on induced termination of pregnancy.

The FAS carried out an investigation after a claim stating that certain Google search results contain abortion advertisements. On typing the text 'abortion in one day' in Russian on Google's search page, abortion advertising hyperlinks appear to the right of the search bar.

As the FAS has determined, by advertising abortion services of a Russian company in the end of December, 2014, Google Inc. violated a Federal law on Advertising. Under this law, promoting medical services on induced termination of pregnancy is strictly prohibited in Russia since January 1, 2014. The Federal Service informed Google Inc. and its Russian branch of these injunctions.