Discord’s days in Russia may be numbered as authorities spot “LGBT propaganda”

Tens of millions of Russian Discord users could lose access as authorities deliberate banning the instant messaging and call platform.

Reports of state rulings against Discord’s conduct in Russia surfaced last week, pointing to Russia's media watchdog Roskomnadzor (RKN) eyeing restrictive actions against the platform. According to the Russian business outlet Kommersant, sources indicated that Moscow is looking for reasons to ban Discord altogether.

The final nail in Discord’s coffin could be the October 1st RKN order demanding the platform delete nearly a thousand pieces of “illegal content.” The Russian news agency TASS quoted RKN, claiming the posts include “child pornography, calls for extremism, the involvement of minors in illegal activity, calls for suicide, LGBT propaganda, and pro-drug content.”

RKN noted that Discord has failed to remove banned materials in the past, earning the platform a fine of 3.5 million roubles ($37,500).

Discord is massively popular in Russia, with the platform’s base estimated between 30 and 40 million. Redditors on the AskRussian subreddit have said that the app is almost ubiquitous among Russian gamers, adding that Discord is way more popular than, for example, Reddit. Others added that the platform is favored by the younger generation of Russians.

Earlier this year, RKN blocked Signal, an encrypted messenger app, due to legal violations and national security concerns. Reddit, Google, Youtube, Amazon, and many others were faced with RKN fines over “illegal content."