(June 9): Roblox Corp shares jumped after a report says Russian government agencies proposed lifting restrictions on the company’s gaming platform, though any final decision rests with law enforcement authorities.
The shares were up 3.42% at 10.43am in New York at US$43.70 a piece after rising as much as 5.37% on Tuesday.
Russia’s Digital Ministry and communications watchdog Roskomnadzor appealed to law enforcement agencies to lift the prohibition on the children’s gaming platform, saying the company provided guarantees it would comply with Russian law, the Interfax news service reported.
Russia banned Roblox in December for inappropriate content that Roskomnadzor said could “negatively impact the spiritual and moral development of children". Shortly after that, Russia also blocked Snap Inc’s Snapchat and Apple Inc’s FaceTime, saying that the services were being used “to organise and carry out terrorist acts".
The move is in contrast to past moves by Russian authorities, who have waged a relentless campaign against social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram as part of efforts to bolster security and suppress dissent. More recently, they have moved to limit access to the Telegram messenger. The tightening of internet restrictions has also helped fuel rising discontent.
Separately, Russian mobile network operator Beeline said it would allow access to international services such as Netflix, Spotify, Ticketmaster, Brawl Stars and other services that comply with the country’s laws and aren’t currently blocked by Roskomnadzor, the Tass news agency reported.
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