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Russia may ban the US-based messaging, voice call, and video chat platform Discord "in the coming days" because Russia believes Discord has repeatedly violated its content policies, according to a report from Russian news outlet Kommersant on Tuesday.
The country's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has reportedly issued five separate reprimands around Discord since last month—and may use these as justification for a total ban. Russia has demanded Discord delete 947 user posts because they've been deemed "illegal," Russia's TASS News Agency said.
The posts in question are reportedly a mix of child pornography, pro-suicide posts, minors engaging in "illegal activity," "pro-drug content," "calls for extremism," and "LGBT propaganda." Discord was fined roughly $37,500 on Monday for failing to remove the prohibited content.
In Russia, however, "extremism" can encompass a wide range of sentiments. For instance, Russia has deemed Meta an "extremist" organization because it allows users to post content criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia has also outlawed the entire LGBTQ+ movement, dubbing it "extremist."
Russia has been ramping up its efforts to regulate and censor social platforms in recent years. In August, Russia throttled YouTube speeds to the point that it's virtually banned in the country. In 2022, it banned Instagram and Facebook.
Russia previously banned Telegram in 2018, but lifted the block two years later because it decided Telegram had done enough to moderate its app. Some European authorities, however, believe Telegram has actually seen a surge of criminal activity.
Tech and social media firms operating in Russia must either choose to comply with government moderation and censorship orders—or risk being banned. Apple, for one, has chosen to abide by Russian orders. It's deleted nearly 100 VPN apps from its Russian App Store this year alone.
PCMag has reached out to Discord for comment.