Roblox Swept Away by New Turkish Social Media Crackdown

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  • Roblox Blocked in Türkiye in Latest Social Media Crackdown
  • Numerous sites have been unceremoniously blocked in the country
  • Turkish authorities have cracked down on several sites

If you are a Turkish Roblox player, then today is probably a dark day for you. That is because Turkish authorities have unceremoniously blocked access to the popular gaming platform. The reasons given, after a period of uncertainty, included some pretty serious demands made on the platform; for now, it seems that the ban is pretty much permanent.

As reported by our sister site PocketGamer.biz, the platform was restricted to visitors from Turkey on Wednesday 7th. No reason was given until a late-day response, which raised allegations of child exploitation and other serious issues that Turkish authorities felt had not been properly addressed by the platform owners.

The decision to block the site, however, comes during a year in which Turkiye and its Internet censorship have come under intense scrutiny. It also comes with the latest and most notable move, an apparent blockade of services like VPNs.

Shrek Swamp Tycoon Illustration
 For what reason?

While the motivations and accusations leveled against Roblox are serious, they are not necessarily baseless. The company’s attempts to moderate the platform, given its millions of users, have often met with criticism. So it’s possible that while the timing of this ban may be unfortunate, this potential action has been brewing for a while.

It’s unclear what Roblox can do to mitigate the ban, if at all, especially given that the platform has faced similar criticism in the past, with responses including legal action from those who feel it isn’t doing enough to moderate.

You could also argue that the recent move to attract brands that are looking to appeal to a more mature audience (like the recently added Hugo Boss experience) is part of an attempt to ease the pressure of moderation for younger users. However, for Roblox fans in Turkey, it’s little consolation either way.

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