No ban for ‘Roblox’ for now

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DICT says officials representing Roblox agreed to reforms on stricter age and identity vetting, and coordination with authorities, preventing a ban

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Tuesday, April 7 said that there would currently be no ban on the game Roblox, after the agency’s meeting with Roblox officials, along with representatives from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, the Philippine National Police, and the advocacy group Digital Pinoys. 

The Roblox officials were not named in the agency’s posts.

Roblox officials explained safeguards for their platform, and vowed to have stricter monitoring, reporting mechanisms, and age-appropriate content controls, the DICT said in a Facebook post. 

On April 12, Sunday, Roblox will also be holding an information campaign, with the purpose of providing guidance to parents on how to use the platform’s safeguards.

Some of these parental controls include screen-time monitoring, setting a limit for in-game purchases, blocking inappropriate content, and choosing age-appropriate content. 

Digital Pinoys, in a Facebook post, said that it also agreed on reforms with Roblox officials, which are as follows:

1. Age verification required for chat access
2. Strict age-based interaction controls
3. Continuous monitoring and re-verification of identities. 
4. Stronger content moderation for minors
5. A framework for law enforcement coordination
6. Local accountability and potential PhilSys (National ID) integration

The discussion came about as a result of a recent report where the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group foiled a planned mass shooting in February by a group of Filipino students manipulated and influenced by unidentified entities within the game.

Prior to the meeting, the DICT and other agencies also held a public consultation with stakeholders where potential reforms were discussed. – Rappler.com