Bandung, Indonesia Sentinel — Both Russia and Turkey have ban and blocked access to the popular instant messaging platform Discord, escalating their crackdowns on foreign tech companies. Discord, based in San Francisco, has been accused by both nations of violating laws related to security and content regulation.
In Russia, the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced the ban on Tuesday, citing Discord’s failure to comply with Russian legislation aimed at preventing the use of messaging platforms for terrorist and extremist purposes. “Access to Discord is being restricted due to violations of Russian law,” Roskomnadzor said in a statement, as reported by The Moscow Time.
The move is part of a broader Russian effort to tighten control over foreign tech platforms, especially those that fail to comply with local laws. Previously in July 2023, a Moscow court fined Discord 6 million rubles (USD $62,000) for not removing content deemed illegal, which the regulator claims the company ignored.
As of October 1, the platform ordered to delete almost 1,000 items it deemed illegal content. Russia’s communications regulator accused the platform of posting extremist content and actively used by criminals organizations.
Discord joins a growing list of Western tech platforms, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), that have been banned in Russia since the country launched its military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
Discord Ban in Turkey
Meanwhile, Turkey has also blocked access to Discord following a court ruling, Turkish authorities confirmed on Wednesday, October 9. According to Turkey’s Information Technologies and Communication Authority, the decision stems from Discord’s refusal to share user data requested by the government.
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Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc stated that an Ankara court blocked the platform due to suspicions that crimes such as “child sexual abuse and obscenity” were being committed by some users on Discord. Trukey’s Transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the Discord platform made it difficult for authorities to monitor and intervene when illegal or criminal content is shared.
Discord’s refusal to share user information, including IP addresses and specific content, with Turkish authorities further contributed to the platform’s blockage. This ban is part of Turkey’s ongoing effort to control online content and track down criminal activity across digital platforms.
On Discord’s status page, the company acknowledged reports of outages in both Russia and Turkey, stating, “We are aware of reports of Discord being unreachable in Russia and Turkey. Our team is investigating these reports at this time.”
(Raidi/Agung)
