"Roblox is coming under increasing scrutiny after decades of failing to implement even the most basic of protective measures to keep its pre-teen players away from the networks of pedophiles who use the game to find victims. Described last year as "a pedophile hellscape for kids" by Hindenburg Research, the game quickly introduced a new assortment of measures last October that did next to nothing, leading this year to a great deal of legal interest."
"Three months back, the state of Louisiana announced its intentions to sue Roblox for the dangers it was allowing, joined since by Kentucky and Texas. These actions come alongside 35 other ongoing lawsuits, including one from only yesterday by a family in Cuyaho County following Roblox 's alleged use in the tragic and too common abuse of their 13-year-old son."
"On Wednesday of this week, Roblox announced it was beginning to roll out a new method of checking player ages before they could access chat, this time using facial recognition to try to restrict players to only talking to others in their age range. Such facial ID checks have become commonplace in the UK following the disastrously poor UK Online Safety Act, by which porn sites and other age-restricted outlets are required to verify users' ages."
Roblox implemented facial-recognition age checks to restrict chat access to players within similar age ranges. The platform has a history of failing to implement basic protective measures against pedophile networks targeting pre-teen players. Hindenburg Research labeled the platform "a pedophile hellscape for kids." A set of measures introduced last October proved ineffective, prompting intensified legal scrutiny and dozens of lawsuits. Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas have announced suits, joining 35 ongoing lawsuits and a recent family suit after alleged abuse of a 13-year-old. Facial ID checks mirror measures used in the UK and raise privacy and circumvention concerns, while communications about the rollout failed to reassure critics.
Read at Kotaku
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