zlacker

>>ANewbu+(OP)
How is one country able to fine businesses in other countries? What legal authority or ability do they have to do anything?

>>dreaml+a5
If you do business in a country you have to operate under that country's laws and regulations, regardless of where you are registered.

Most commonly it's the EU fining American tech for GDPR violations and related privacy shenanigans.

>>kyleca+j7
Right, but the UK is saying they'll fine Imgur even after Imgur blocked access. At that point, what tooth does the fine have? "You must pay this fine if you want to, err, nothing I guess"?

>>stavro+Z8
They're only threatening to fine them for previous violations of the law, not anything after they block access. Blocking access doesn't make the existing fine from when they were doing business in the UK go away, it just prevents future fines.

Whether they can collect the money while Imgur aren't doing business in the UK is a different argument, but it's not particularly controversial that a country can fine a business operating in its jurisdiction for violating that country's laws. Even if those laws are authoritarian bullshit.