A fine for the “Sign in with Google” button

Websites in Russia may begin to face fines of up to 700,000 rubles (approximately $7,500-8,000) for allowing user registration and authorization through foreign services such as Google.

This concerns a new draft law that has already been submitted for consideration and, according to market participants, is highly likely to be adopted. The document introduces real financial sanctions for violating requirements that have formally been in force for several years, but until now have hardly been enforced in practice.

The essence of the issue is as follows. Since 2023, Russia has had a ban on the use of foreign authentication services for user registration and login on websites. The restrictions cover popular mechanisms such as “Sign in with Google,” as well as similar solutions from other foreign platforms. Formally, this requirement is aimed at protecting personal data and reducing dependence on foreign IT solutions. In practice, however, many websites continued to use such authorization, since there were almost no real fines or inspections.

Now the situation may change dramatically. The draft law provides for administrative liability for website owners and online services that allow users to register or log in via foreign accounts. The maximum fine is set at 700,000 rubles, which at the current exchange rate is equivalent to approximately $7,500-8,000. For small and medium-sized businesses, this is no longer a minor inconvenience but a tangible blow to the budget.

Importantly, liability threatens not only large platforms, but any website where such a form of authorization is implemented. Online stores, educational platforms, booking services, corporate portals, old websites built on popular CMS platforms – all of them potentially fall under risk if there is still a Google Sign-In button or a similar option on the login page.

A separate problem is that in many cases such mechanisms were connected automatically – through plugins, templates, or standard libraries. Website owners may have ignored them for years, considering them a convenient feature for users. Now, however, precisely these “forgotten” interface elements may become grounds for a fine.

In effect, the state is moving from a formal ban to the stage of forced enforcement. If previously the rule existed only “on paper,” now non-compliance begins to cost real money. In this sense, the draft law looks like a logical continuation of the course toward digital sovereignty and tighter control over IT infrastructure.

For businesses, the conclusion is fairly simple and not very pleasant. If a website is aimed at a Russian audience and operates within the legal framework of the Russian Federation, any authorization methods via foreign services should be removed in advance, without waiting for inspections and fines. The alternative is an in-house registration system, authorization via phone number, email, or permitted domestic services.

The irony of the situation is that for users such changes almost always mean reduced convenience. One-click authorization via Google was fast and familiar. But from the regulator’s point of view, convenience clearly loses out to control.

So the era of “sign in with Google” for Russian websites appears to be coming to an окончательный end. And this time not just as a recommendation, but at a price of up to 700,000 rubles for a single button that was not taken care of in time.