Roblox users urge caution about the new lawsuit, arguing it could go too far

The Roblox community is in turmoil. Just in the last week, a prominent content creator, Schlep, known for assisting in the apprehension of at least six predators who found victims on the platform was banned, a lawsuit is underway in the United States, worries circulate about a ban in the UK under new regulations, Chris Hansen might be making a documentary, and well over 100 thousand people signed a petition demanding Roblox CEO David Baszucki resign. So, yeah, it’s been a little hectic. Fans on Reddit are discussing the potential threats to privacy in the name of security.

Roblox users debate the potential downsides of the ongoing legal disputes

In a post shared to the Roblox subreddit titled, “The Louisiana Lawsuit is NOT as good as it seems,” users point out some concerning language hidden in the lawsuit filing. The poster shared a screenshot of sections 108, 109, and 110, highlighting eerily similar wording to the current UK Online Safety Act, which now requires online platforms to implement strict age verification assurances. Section 108 of the Louisiana Attorney General’s lawsuit points out that while Roblox did implement “adjustable parental controls for users under the age of 13, these children could bypass those controls simply by creating an alternate account identifying as a 13+ year-old user.” While this doesn’t directly suggest strict age verification, users were able to point out other social media posts where it was a little more clear.

In the comments of the Reddit post, the top comment points out the concern, saying: “…the government jumped on the opportunity to pass laws to control what we say online. It’s almost as if they plan to use it to push something else…” with a link to the Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s social media post about age verification. Murrill wrote, “Big tech platforms must get on board with the age verification laws instead of fighting them…” This points to an obvious end goal.

Of course, this is a nuanced situation. No one wants to defend the platform that has allowed predatory behavior to proliferate. Clearly, something does need to change at Roblox. But users wonder if this is a slippery slope. How much internet censorship is worth it in the name of security?

Roblox

August 27, 2006

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• Overview

• lawsuits and litigation
• Reddit
• Roblox Corporation