Russia Blocks Roblox and Snapchat, Citing ‘Terrorist Activities’ – Business Insider

Roblox, the popular gaming platform, is now blocked in Russia. Moscow said it’s been used to coordinate “terrorist” activities. Hannah Peters/Getty Images Roblox and Snapchat are now blocked in Russia over what it said were concerns about extremism. They’re now added to an extensive list of blocked or restricted platforms in Russia for such reasons. Apple’s FaceTime also faces restrictions for what Russia said was “terrorist” activity. Russia’s internet and media regulator said this week that it has blocked Snapchat and Roblox, saying both platforms were used for “extremist and terrorist” activity. Roskomnadzor announced its decision to block Snapchat on Thursday, but said it had already made the social media app unavailable in Russia since October 10. “According to law enforcement agencies, Snapchat is being used to organize and conduct terrorist activities in the country, recruit perpetrators, and commit fraud and other crimes against our citizens,” it said in a statement, per state media. The federal agency made a similar announcement on Wednesday regarding Roblox, accusing the gaming platform of enabling the distribution of propaganda advocating for extremist or terrorist activities. It also said that users were using Roblox to spread “LGBT information,” which Russia legally considers extremist. Meanwhile, Roskomnadzor
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