Google sued by Crimean resident over suspending Internet services in area

A resident of Sevastopol in Crimea, the region which acceded to Russia from Ukraine last year, is suing Google over suspended Internet services, Tass news agency reported Monday. Sevastopol’s Leninsky district court accepted Dmitry Mishin’s claim that the Internet giant incorrectly implemented the US president’s executive order when it suspended certain services in Sevastopol. The first court hearing is scheduled for March, the court’s official website says. Mishin demands restoration of the operation of Google Play on his cell phone in the administrative borders of Sevastopol, a moral damage compensation of $161 and a fine on Google for $80.5. IT lawyer Dmitry Mishin told Tass that he decided to clarify the grounds for introducing US technology sanctions on the territory of Crimea. “I filed official requests to a smartphone producer, distributor and owner of the Android service. Google confirmed that it imposed restrictions on the basis of US president’s Executive Order 13685 from December 19, 2014,” Mishin said. Mishin said Sevastopol was not mentioned in the executive order, it focused only on Crimea. “According to Ukrainian constitution and the Russian constitution, Sevastopol never was part of Crimea, the city is considered a separate administrative division,” the lawyer said. Mishin demanded that Google restore its services in Sevastopol, but the technology giant refused to fulfil his demands. Then he decided to sue the company. IANS