Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has officially banned the popular messaging platform Discord, citing its failure to comply with a court order and for disseminating “illegal information.”
The ban targets Discord, widely used by gamers and cryptocurrency enthusiasts for instant messaging, voice, and video calls, due to the platform’s inability to remove 947 posts that allegedly violate Russian law.
These posts include content related to suicide, extremism, child sexual abuse, and “LGBT propaganda.”
In response to its noncompliance, a Moscow court recently fined Discord 3.5 million rubles ($37,500), adding to a previous fine of six million rubles from last year.
Roskomnadzor stated that the measures aim to prevent the platform's use for terrorist recruitment and the sale of illegal substances.
Despite a significant shift of Russian users to Telegram following Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, Discord has maintained a loyal user base, especially among gamers.
Last month, the newspaper Kommersant reported that Discord’s continued noncompliance with Russian legislation could lead to either a complete ban or significant restrictions on its services.
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