Roskomnadzor allowed unblocking of Roblox in Russia

Roskomnadzor has announced that the blocking of the Roblox gaming platform in Russia can be lifted after Roblox Corporation appealed to bring the service into compliance with the requirements of Russian law.

Roskomnadzor said that it allows the resumption of Roblox platform in Russia. The basis was an official appeal from Roblox Corporation, in which the company expressed its readiness to gradually bring its activities in the country in accordance with the norms of Russian law.

Roskomnadzor said it would allow the resumption of Roblox platform in Russia.

Roblox was blocked in Russia on December 3. The reason was materials with propaganda of extremist and terrorist activities. Until then, according to the agency, the company did not respond to the regulator’s legal demands.

Roskomnadzor’s position and recognition of violations

In a new press release, Roskomnadzor noted that prior to being blocked, Roblox Corporation had ignored requirements regarding content moderation and user safety. The company has now admitted that it had insufficiently monitored game content and the security of user chats.

Roblox Corporation had previously stated that it “respects local laws and regulations in the countries where it operates” and emphasized its commitment to user safety. However, Roskomnadzor deemed these statements insufficient to lift the restrictions.

Conditions for possible unblocking of Roblox

Roskomnadzor clarified that the key factor will not be the statement itself, but the practical actions of the platform. The agency emphasized that it is ready to cooperate with Roblox Corporation if there are real steps to change approaches to moderation and protection of children on the Internet.

Roblox has been running since 2006 and is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and iOS and Android devices. Before the blocking, Roblox had a monthly audience of about 18 million users in Russia.