No Discord

Roskomnadzor blocked Discord, a popular social network with communities and audio calls. How did the application not please the Russian authorities and how is it used in the war of Russia and Ukraine?

On October 8, Roskomnadzor blocked access to Discord, a popular application for group communication, joint work and remote studies. The ban is explained by the fact that the messenger was allegedly used "for terrorist and extremist purposes, to recruit citizens, sell drugs."

Discord has already announced that he was aware of the application of the application in Russia and is studying the case. And the head of the State Duma Committee on Inform Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, said that the messenger can unlock if the "Service fulfills the requirements of the law." The New European Europe is understanding the difficult situation with Discord: for which the social network could actually block what problems he faces in different countries and why he is critical for the military leadership of Russia and Ukraine.

What kind of Discord and why it has become popular

This is originally a gaming program for communication during the game released in 2015. Discord fell in love with excellent sound quality, minimal consumption of computer resources and ease of use. The application was ideally suited to everyone who is tired of the bulky TeamSpeak 3 program, in which you need to set the server on their own, and the Skype inhibitory with frequent lags during calls. Discord first began to use e -sportsmen, and then ordinary players.

Over time, Discord appeared functions that competitors did not have. For example, these are full -fledged videos and screen broadcasts, as well as a native streaming of games right in the application. In text chats, it became possible to send images and gifs, and the game that the user launched in the profile status.

However, the application became truly popular at the expense of servers-the so-called closed communities, which can only be included in invitation.

Each server is a full -fledged group with its thematic sections and rules. All messages are written in the so -called text channels: these are separate group chats, the theme of which is determined by the users themselves.

For example, you can create a channel dedicated exclusively to memes or discussion of politics. Each channel can be “deputy”, that is, drown out notifications from it in order to be present only in interesting sections.

In addition to text channels, there are voice-and they can also be called differently. The quality of the audio in Discord is at a high level: the application has a special neural network for noise reduction. Also in the voice channels you can broadcast your screen or strict the game: often Discord users use these functions to watch movies online or include video on YouTube.

The main feature of Discord is its social component. Each server is on self -government: administrators determine the rules for the violation of which are blocked by any participants. Moderators help them: volunteers reading all messages in text channels and checking audio challenges. The administrator distributes participants in the hierarchy and gives them roles painted in different colors: for example, he can reward his favorite participants with some kind of special title-say, call them faithful subjects or give them the status of an honorary citizen.

Discord encourage confidentiality: for example, administrators can create private channels for certain participants who will be invisible to other server members. And the application also does not block adult content in communities: if desired, server owners can mark certain channels NSFW - Not Safe For Work, or “unsafe for work”.

Discord has become such a convenient application that it began to be launched not only for the sake of communication during games. For many users, it has turned into a full -fledged social network where you can find friends by interests or build relationships at a distance. Discord even has public servers with open invitations for thousands and hundreds of thousands of people, and for some the program has become a source of earnings. So, administrators and moderators of large communities can trade VIP status for access to private channels. And many freelancers - for example, artists or programmers - find their customers in Discord.

It is not surprising that over the years, Discord has become more popular not only among gamers. During the Pandemia of Coronavirus, the program became an excellent alternative to Zoom. In contrast, Discord allows you to conduct video calls without time restrictions, which is convenient for working calls, lessons and lectures. In 2020, Jason Citron, the head of the company, even stated that the application would cease to rely exclusively on gamers and become a platform for people with different interests. In just four months since the beginning of the global locaun, the company attracted an investment of $ 379 million.

What problems do Discord face in different countries

Closed communities are not displayed in the search and are not checked by the moderators of the application: it is possible to enter them only by invitation. This is used, for example, cybercriminals, which create in Discord communities on hacking sites, creating viruses and selling stolen passwords.

The NBC News said that since 2021, cases of sexual exploitation of minors have become more frequent in the messenger: criminals have extorted frank photos from children and adolescents and threatened to put them on the network if they did not continue to send new pictures. CNN also reported about crimes related to child pornography in 2022.

The Washington Post also showed that pedophile groups are operating on the platform.

Such a problem is not only in Discord, but in almost all instant messengers and social networks like Telegram. The problem is that for a long time the application has not been regulated in any way, since it was first seen exclusively as audio tides for gamers.

Discord prescribes the rules for interaction with the law enforcement agencies of the United States and the European Union, but the exact number of people involved in the moderation of communities is unknown. In January 2024, Discord fired 170 employees - now there are only 830 of them. Given that about 200 million people around the world use the application monthly, such a number of people for moderation is clearly not enough.

It is almost impossible to track violations of the law automatically: the company itself claims that all messages in the messenger are encrypted. Therefore, the only way to indicate violations of the law is to send a complaint to the moderators.

The lack of strict regulation of content does not like many countries. So, on October 9, almost simultaneously with Russia, Discord was blocked in Turkey. The Minister of Justice of the country, Yilmaz Tunch, said that Ankara's court blocked access to Discord due to crimes on the platform associated with "sexual violence against children and obscenity."

The Bloomberg publication claims that the service was blocked due to messages from some users who rejoiced at the murder of two women in Istanbul. The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu also reported claims to the messenger.

“Security officers cannot view content. We can only intervene when users complain to us about the materials posted there. Since Discord refuses to share his information, including IP addresses and content, with our security units, we were forced to block access, ”Uralogl told reporters.

In addition to Russia and Turkey, Discord does not work in China. The first platform was blocked, and criminal prosecution may begin for its use through the VPN. Discord does not work in North Korea, like all foreign platforms.

Surprisingly, the social network is still available in Iran - users of this country gather in large public communities. But periodically the country's authorities block access to it - usually during protests. Also, Discord is partially limited in the UAE: voice chats and video calls do not work there. Users from there use different circuits of locks like a change in the region and VPN.

What do Discord present in Russia and why it was blocked

For several months, the Russian authorities were preparing to block Discord. So, on March 12, Roskomnadzor included it in the register of social networks. Since September 28, Bots on VKontakte and social networks X began to convince Russians that the possible blocking of Discord is the right solution. On September 30, the Tagansky court of Moscow fined Discord by 3.5 million rubles for violation of the law on self -networks.

A day after the fine, Roskomnadzor said that he sent the platform requests for the removal of 947 illegal materials, “including children's pornography, calls for extremism, involving minors in illegal actions, calls for suicide, and propaganda of LGBT, and pro -narcotic content”. The lock was reported in a week, on October 8.

Apparently, Discord actually fulfilled the requests of Roskomnadzor, and already in March he began to block access for users with Russian IP addresses to some communities: for example, Femboye servers ( representatives of a subculture of men who put on women's clothing and show feminine behavior features. -approx. Ed. ). Neither Roskomnadzor nor Discord did not specify which communities have claims to the Russian authorities.

Probably, the presence of “illegal” content is just an occasion for blocking. The Russian authorities might not like the Discord innovation - through encryption for voice and video chats. The introduction was announced on September 17, two weeks before the statement of Roskomnadzor about claims to the company. Discord said that thanks to through encryption, all calls will become truly private, and no one can listen to them: neither Discord, nor any third sides.

Possible claims related to privacy are also stated by the statement of the head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Alexander Khinshtein. He said that the application can be unlocked if the company "removes illegal materials and ensures the authorization of users." Perhaps Khinshtein hints at a forced entrance by phone number or a Russian service account like VKontakte or Yandex. Such a solution would allow the security forces to listen to all the calls of Russian users and check their chats.

Discord blocking was commented by some public faces. So, the singer Yegor Creed expressed his indignation. “The discord broke, in which we are sitting with the boys every day. Waaaau d what to trifle? Blind carts, calls, access home, food, air ... ” - Creed said ( spelling and punctuation are preserved. - Approx. Ed. ). He later deleted the post and said that he would switch to Skype.

The deputy chairman of the State Duma Vladislav Davankov also spoke about his intention to challenge the lock. He said that Discord will not be able to replace any domestic analogue, and from 25 to 40 million people use the service.

The game blogger Deadp47, who has a Discord community for 27 thousand people, also shared his opinion. He believes that Roskomnadzor blocked the messenger not only for political reasons.

“I have the feeling that they just felt offended that it didn’t work out with YouTube and people did not suffer this garbage, so they decided to fuck something harmless and not so massive ...

Here is a funny topic - well, you can live without a discord. Without many things, you can live, in principle, just take one, then the second, then one more, and there are simply no things left. I have no problems with Dis, but I am insulting that microcent from the Russian Federation again insert sticks into the wheels and intervene in their leisure time. I can justify and support in Akhu as such a garbage, ” said the blogger ( spelling and punctuation are preserved. - Approx. Ed. )

How Discord is used during the war

Discord blocking reminded of the unexpected connection of the messenger with the war of Russia and Ukraine. So, in August 2024, photos of the Russian military headquarters were on the Internet, in which drones were coordinated through the video call to Discord. And the Ukrainian military has been actively using the messenger for the same purpose since 2022.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine officially declared Discord a warfare tool. But, apparently, this is the most convenient and reliable service for broadcasting videos: thanks to the high sound quality and the lack of sub -termination of the picture. In addition, Discord is a neutral company, despite the location in the United States, and is not seen in cooperation with the American authorities. So, it was on this platform that secret documents related to the Pentagon flowed in 2023.

Discord blocking in Russia may interfere with the Russian army in coordination via the Internet. This was stated by many military commissars and public persons supporting the war.

“From a military point of view, the main problem with the prohibition of Discord is not even that part of the command posts can be left without broadcasting from drones. And the fact that the relevant control of the MO forces does not seek to provide any alternatives to provide the troops, ” said militaryman Mikhail Zvinchuk, leading the telegram channel“ Rybar ”.

“Blocked Discord is an absolutely enemy resource. Nobody argues with this. But our military massively use (used) the service to perform delicate and important combat missions. It happens too. If you do not go into details and compare the situation, for example, with Aikido, then our fighter was deprived of a powerful trick. I hope that the situation will be resolved as soon as possible in favor of our warriors, ” said State Duma deputy Evgeny Popov.

Earlier, that Discord blocking would be a mistake, said the head of the safe Internet league Ekaterina Mizulina. According to her, the platform was used to watch video from drones and other equipment, and broadcasts in this social network were given the highest quality picture. Later, the social activist refused to comment on the decision of Roskomnadzor and said that "she does not make any blocking decisions at all."

At the same time, part of the wire-packed bloggers does not consider Discord locking something important. For example, military uniform Yuri Podolyak stated his consent with the decision of Roskomnadzor. He believes that without Discord “the front will not collapse”, and through the platform they only handed the video for the “conditional comrade of the general”.

Whether the Russian military replacement of Discord will find is still unclear. The anonymous wire telegram channel Condottiero reports that the army is now testing Revolt, an analogue of the messenger with the same functions.