Russia bans Discord, a communication app used by its military
What's the story
Russia has banned the popular chat platform, Discord, according to the Washington Post. The move comes after similar restrictions on other social media platforms like Facebook and X, amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Ironically, the Russian military has been using Discord for communication due to the absence of domestic platforms offering secure messaging services.
Controversy
Discord accused of hosting extremist content
The ban on Discord was launched after Russia's internet regulator accused the platform of spreading extremist content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This action is similar to Turkey's recent decision to block access to the app when it refused to share user data with Turkish authorities. Discord has acknowledged these issues on its status website, saying they are "aware of reports of Discord being unreachable in Russia and Turkey" and are investigating these reports.