Russia blocks Discord over content violations

The tech company faces blockade by Roskomnadzor.

Russia has ordered Discord to delete almost 1,000 posts it deems illegal, targeting content related to extremism, LGBT promotion, and drug abuse.

Russia‘s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has blocked the messaging platform Discord for alleged violations of Russian law, according to the TASS news agency. The San Francisco-based company becomes the latest foreign tech platform to face restrictions in Russia. Discord has yet to respond to the decision.

For years, Russia has pressured foreign tech companies to remove content it deems illegal, imposing frequent, though generally small, fines for non-compliance. Last week, Roskomnadzor ordered Discord to delete nearly 1,000 pieces of content it classified as illegal and had previously fined the platform for failing to remove banned material.

Moscow has also blocked other major platforms, including Twitter (now X), Facebook, and Instagram, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.