Roblox banned in Russia under allegation of "LGBTQ+ propaganda" and flaws

The Roblox was banned in Russia, accused by the regulatory body Roskomnadzor of distributing "LGBTQ+ propaganda" and extremist materials related to terrorism. The Russian regulatory body criticized the platform, describing it as "filled with inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children". The Roskomnadzor also flagged reports of child sexual harassment on the platform.

A spokesperson for Roblox defended themselves to Reuters: "We respect local laws and regulations in the countries where we operate and believe that Roblox offers a positive space for learning, creativity, and meaningful connections for all." The spokesperson reinforced the company's commitment to safety, mentioning a "robust set of proactive and preventive security measures designed to capture and prevent harmful content on our platform."

The allegations in Russia come in a context where Roblox already faces criticism for questionable security measures. A report last year claimed that the platform had reported 13,316 instances of child exploitation. Although Roblox has enhanced its security standards this year, including the requirement of age checks for communication on the platform, Turkey also banned access to the service last year to "ensure the protection of our children".

The action of Roskomnadzor follows a pattern of media and Western technology restriction that violates Russian laws, affecting services like Duolingo, WhatsApp and Telegram. Russia has anti-LGBT laws in place since 2013, prohibiting "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors.

Recently, Roblox CEO, David Baszucki, stirred controversy in an interview on the Hard Fork podcast of the New York Times by describing the issue of predators on the platform as an "opportunity".