Roblox faces potential ban in Philippines over child safety by CICC

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is considering a nationwide ban on online gaming platform Roblox due to alleged illegal activities within the app.

According to a statement on Friday, the CICC has given the platform one month to address threat actors like pedophiles and drug traffickers using the platform as “hunting grounds” for underage users.

Officials of the CICC and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said that they would move for a total nationwide block should Roblox fail to coordinate with the government to resolve the said issues in 30 days.

In addition to the block, CICC said that they will also mandate internet service providers and telecommunications companies to block access to servers, and to de-list the app on Play Store and App Store.

“We will wait until the end of the month. If they truly fail to respond in the interim, we will begin coordinating with telecommunications companies and app stores. This is to ensure that once the ban is implemented, the vast majority—if not all—of the youth in our country will no longer be able to access Roblox,” CICC Undersecretary Renato “Aboy” Paraiso said.

"Secretary Henry Aguda of the DICT and I have planned that should Roblox fail to respond to us, we will coordinate with Telecos to implement a ban. This time, our enforcement will be more extensive; we will also engage Google, the Play Store, and the Apple Store to apply geo-fencing on this game. This will ensure that the application itself can no longer be used within the country,” he added.

CICC said that the moves will follow previous restrictions imposed on the platform by Qatar, Iran, Turkey, and the U.S. due to similar concerns.

Meanwhile, the agency called on parents and guardians to ensure their children remain safe from “Red Flags” encountered in the application.

GMA News Online has reached out to Roblox for comment.

The announcement for banning the gaming platform comes only days after CICC reinstated access to the social media platform Tumblr due to a “surge of reports” that prompted the government to restore access.

The agency had initially blocked the site after placing it “under investigation.” –NB, GMA Integrated News