As we wrote just the other day, Roblox has now been banned in Russia, with authorities arguing that the platform contains "inappropriate content that can negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children." And while bans like this have become almost routine in the country, what followed was something rather unusual.
According to Reuters, a small group of people gathered over the weekend in the Siberian city of Tomsk to protest the decision. Public protests aren't exactly an everyday sight in Russia, and even fewer tend to happen over video games, which makes the whole thing stand out.
Photos from the scene show roughly 25 people standing in the snow holding hand-written signs saying things like "Hands off Roblox" and "Roblox is the victim of the digital Iron Curtain." Not a massive crowd by any means, but enough to get noticed.
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The ban itself was introduced earlier this month by Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, which claims Roblox is full of "inappropriate content" that could negatively affect children. Russia isn't alone in that assessment either, as countries such as Iraq and Turkey have previously blocked the platform for similar reasons.
That said, critics believe the decision has more to do with tightening control over the internet. Russia already blocks or limits access to services like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and WhatsApp, and many users simply work around those restrictions using VPNs anyway.
Roblox, which is based in California, has previously said it takes safety seriously and offers built-in tools to protect younger players. The company hasn't commented specifically on the protest. Whether a handful of people protesting in the snow will change anything is doubtful, but it does show that frustration over Russia's growing list of blocked apps is starting to bubble up, even when it comes to a platform like Roblox.