Outcry after Russia bans Discord

The Russian government has blocked Discord after the platform ignored demands to remove content that it deems illegal. Critics said the move was yet another attack on free speech.

Roskomnadzor, Russia’s censorship body, said it has blocked the hugely popular messenger service for “violation of laws.”

In a statement shared with the Russian state-controlled news agency Tass, the watchdog said that Discord failed to comply with government requirements.

The platform was included in the state’s registrar of social networks that are required to find and block content considered illegal in Russia independently.

“Access to Discord is being restricted in connection with violation of requirements of Russian laws,” Roskomnadzor said in a statement.

Compliance was required to “prevent the use of the messenger for terrorist and extremist services, recruitment of citizens to commit them, for drug sales, and in connection with unlawful information posting,” it said.

In addition to actually dangerous organizations, the Russian censorship laws target the opposition and non-governmental bodies critical of the Kremlin as “extremist” to limit their reach. Pro-Ukraine messaging and LGBT content are also banned under Russian laws.

Before blocking Discord, Roskomnadzor ordered the platform to delete nearly a thousand pieces of “illegal content.” The company was already fined 3.5 million roubles ($37,500) for not removing banned content.

Cybernews has reached out to Discord for comment.

Following a ban in Russia, the app was also blocked in Turkey after praise from some users on the platform of a 19-year-old man who killed two young women earlier this month.

‘Significant attack’ on freedom of speech

Discord is widely popular in Russia, with an estimated user base of between 30 to 40 million. Blocking the platform is “yet another significant attack” on the freedom of speech in Russia, believes Roskomsvoboda, a Russian digital rights group.

“This messenger was initially popular with gamers and then became an important tool for young people to communicate in general. Due to the anonymity of users, which is provided on this platform, the messenger could be used for quite free speech,” Roskomsvoboda’s spokesperson Natalia Malysheva said.

Other messenger apps popular in Russia are usually associated with a phone number, which, according to rights advocates, limits users to what they can say for fear of persecution.

“If the Russian state cannot get information about users from some platforms or messengers or force them to moderate content within the framework of Russian military censorship, it simply blocks them and makes them inaccessible to Russian residents,” Malysheva said.

‘Everyone is fed up’

Discord users in Russia have flocked to Reddit and other online forums to share tips about circumventing the ban using VPN services.

“Lots of workarounds. However, tons of communities will be destroyed beyond repair,” one Redditor noted.

“They are worse than terrorists. Everyone is fed up with [Roskomnadzor],” said another.

Earlier this year, Russian authorities also blocked Signal, an encrypted messaging service. Facebook, Instagram, and X were blocked after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Platforms including Amazon, Google, Reddit, and YouTube received fines over “banned content.”

Others heeded the government’s demands, with the popular language-learning app Duolingo agreeing to remove LGBT-related content so it could continue to operate in Russia.

Meanwhile, Apple has reportedly removed dozens of VPN apps from its App Store in Russia even though it stopped sales in the country following the Ukraine invasion.