Latest news with #Schlep
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Roblox faces mounting backlash as petition to remove CEO David Baszucki receives more than 100,000 signatures
Image via Roblox Roblox is one of the most popular online gaming platforms, which was first introduced in 2006. But in recent times this popular online gaming platform is facing intense scrutiny as a petition demanding the resignation of CEO David Baszucki, and this petition has already surpassed 100,000 signatures. The petition was launched on August 9, 2025, which accuses Roblox of failing to protect children from exploitation and harmful content; people have cited many systemic safety failures, and they blame Baszucki's leadership for all this. This Roblox backlash intensified because of the following the platform's ban of YouTuber Schlep, who is a self-described 'predator hunter' and claims to have facilitated six arrests of alleged predators targeting minors on Roblox. Upon this the critics argue that Roblox's automated moderation and delayed responses to reports are a major threat to the users while they are silencing whistleblowers. The whole controversy has gotten major attention due to the intervention of lawmakers and media, which includes the investigative journalist Chris Hansen, who increases the pressure on the company to address child safety concerns. Tech Talks EP28: Update on Our Safety Initiatives What are the exact child safety concerns that are fueling this outrage against Roblox leadership? This Roblox child safety petition has been hosted on and it already has received more than 100,000 signatures. The petition alleges that Roblox's leadership has repeatedly prioritized platform growth over user safety. Here are the key points that prove the lack of safety concerns: Delayed action: The reports by players and other investigators suggest predators remain active for weeks despite being flagged, exposing children to ongoing risks. Automated systems: The platform is heavily dependent on automated moderation where innocent users face bans while predators and other harmful content gets circulated because of several flaws in the AI systems . Retaliation against whistleblowers: Roblox banned Schlep and issued a cease-and-desist letter, mentioning him for showing 'vigilantism' and violating community standards, which has further fueled this issue. For which Roblox defends its policies by stating that the safety enforcement should be left to professionals and law enforcement. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like California: Gov May Cover Your Cost To Install Solar If You Live In These Zip Codes SunValue Learn More Undo Roblox's Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman says that Schlep's methods 'undermine safety efforts' by bypassing official reporting channels. But on the other hand, Schlep and his fans argue that Roblox's reporting tools are very ineffective and share their personal experiences of their attempts that went unaddressed by the platform . Legal and reputational fallout escalates. This is not only it; the backlash has even extended beyond the petition through the following means: Legal action: Louisiana filed a lawsuit against Roblox over predator-related concerns, while there was another separate complaint in California that alleged a 10-year-old was sexually abused by a predator on the platform. Media scrutiny: Chris Hansen's investigation into Roblox predation and Schlep's collaboration on a documentary, which might further damage the company's reputation. Political pressure: Congressman Ro Khanna has advocated for stronger child safety measures on gaming platforms, which raises other legislative concerns for Roblox. Roblox is trying real hard and making all PR efforts to respond to this backlash, which also includes a video featuring the CEO, Baszucki, discussing safety initiatives taken by the platform. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Roblox CEO called on to resign after sending cease and desist letter to online ‘predator hunter'
Roblox's chief executive is facing a wave of fury after his company sent a cease and desist letter to a YouTuber known for exposing alleged child predators on the online gaming platform. The Roblox Corporation reportedly issued a legal complaint last week to a 22-year-old content creator known as 'Schlep,' who revealed this in a YouTube video. The chief executive of the platform is founder David Baszucki. Sharing the full cease and desist letter on X, the company's lawyers cited violations such as simulated child endangerment and sharing personal information. They argued that such actions bypassed official moderation channels. Schlep, a self-styled 'predator hunter' who has over 767,000 YouTube subscribers, had all associated Roblox accounts terminated in the high-profile conflict with the company. In return, Schlep, who claims his investigations led to six arrests of individuals attempting to groom minors on Roblox, accused the company of repeatedly ignoring evidence presented by him and other vigilante streamers. In his video, Schlep alleges that his motivations stem from personal experience having been groomed as a child on the platform, which he said led to a suicide attempt. The Independent has approached Schlep for comment and to seek verification of his claims. Schlep also claimed that Baszucki blocked him on X. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has launched an online petition against Roblox, accusing the platform of insufficient child safety measures. He hopes to garner one million signatures by Friday. 'Roblox is simply not doing enough to protect our kids, to inform parents, and to go after child predators,' Khanna said in a TikTok video. After Roblox's legal threat, Schlep reached out to Republican Senator Ted Cruz on X and then by email on Monday, advocating for political attention to the company's safety policies. Schlep argued that the platform's alleged negligence toward protecting young players had already been the subject of lawsuits in Texas. It was not immediately clear whether Cruz's office responded. The incident has sparked widespread backlash, reigniting debate over platform moderation versus vigilante actions, with critics accusing Roblox of hypocrisy and placing legal threats above child safety. Campaigns such as '#FreeSchlep' and '#BoycottRoblox' have gained traction, supported by major creators like MoistCr1TiKal and JiDeon. A petition calling for Baszucki to 'fix what he's caused or resign' had more than 48,000 signatures by Thursday morning. Another video citing the petitions for the Roblox CEO's resignation surpassed 1.2 million views on YouTube. After the wave of backlash, Roblox Corporation released a statement on Wednesday explaining why it removed vigilante groups from the platform, without explicitly naming Schlep. 'While seemingly well-intentioned, the vigilantes we've banned have taken actions that are both unacceptable and create an unsafe environment for users,' it said. 'Similar to actual predators, they often impersonated minors, actively approached other users, then tried to lead them to other platforms to have sexually explicit conversations.' Roblox said that while most chats between its more than 111 million daily active users are 'safe and civil,' there are 'bad actors' that attempt to evade its moderation system. The company emphasized that reporting through official channels is safer and more effective than vigilante actions. The Independent has contacted the Roblox Corporation for more information. Solve the daily Crossword
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Petition to remove Roblox CEO David Baszucki passes 100k signatures over child safety concerns
A petition calling for the resignation of Roblox CEO David Baszucki has gained more than 100,000 signatures, citing concerns over child safety on the platform. Launched on August 9 2025, the petition alleges that Roblox has failed to protect children from exploitation and harmful content. It further claims that, under Baszucki's leadership, accountability and transparency have been lacking. The document accuses the company of being slow to remove predators, stating that some remained active even after being reported. It also criticises Roblox for permitting harmful content to circulate and relying too heavily on automated moderation, which petitioners say has wrongly penalised innocent players. Additional allegations include retaliation against community members who raised concerns, as well as repeated failures to respond to calls for reform. The petition does not cite specific cases, but comes amid wider debate following the banning of Schlep, a YouTuber known for confronting alleged predators on Roblox. Schlep received a cease-and-desist notice from the company, warning against 'unauthorised and harmful activities on the Roblox platform.' Roblox has defended the decision, arguing that Schlep's methods constituted vigilantism. In an update video on August 16, Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said such activity placed the community at 'greater risk.' On August 15, journalist Chris Hansen, host of To Catch a Predator, announced via X/Twitter that he was investigating 'exploitation of children on the popular gaming platform, Roblox.' He confirmed he had been in contact with both law enforcement and Schlep regarding the matter. The petition marks a growing wave of pressure on Roblox's leadership as debate over child safety and platform moderation continues. Roblox has not yet issued a direct response to the petition.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Roblox getting banned? Why gaming platform is facing troubles in US and abroad
Roblox appears to be in a spot of trouble, as the online game platform attempts to battle growing controversies over child safety and its imposition of bans on 'vigilante' users. This has led to fears that Roblox might get banned. Roblox found itself in hot water when Schlep, who was working on delivering 'vigilante justice' found himself banned due to his actions.(AP) However, there is no such confirmation of Roblox getting banned in the US just yet, but it has happened elsewhere, which might explain the fears. Here's what has been happening with Roblox at home and abroad. Roblox troubles and bans: In the US and beyond On August 13, Qatar seemingly blocked Roblox. Qatar Tribune reported Roblox was no longer available to players throughout the country. While it could be downloaded on iOS or Android, if internet connections were deduced to be in Qatar, then the game could not be accessed. The move came over concerns regarding child safety, though there have been no official statements from Qatar or Roblox. Notably, countries like Oman, China, and Turkey have blocked Roblox in the past. Roblox has also run into trouble in Indonesia, with Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Meutya Hafid, last Thursday, calling for a tightening of safety measures, and alignment with the country's child protection regulations, Jakarta Globe reported. Meanwhile, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is also acting against Roblox. She announced on Thursday that she'd filed a lawsuit against Roblox in the state court, alleging that children headed to the platform are not protected from predators, Forbes reported. 'Roblox is overrun with harmful content and child predators because it prioritizes user growth, revenue, and profits over child safety,' Murrill said. Some days back, Roblox found itself in hot water when Schlep, who was working on delivering 'vigilante justice' found himself banned due to his actions. Roblox has long been criticized for its security shortcomings, prompting many to take up 'vigilante justice'. Roblox CEO David Baszucki has been working to put out the fires, as troubles seem to mount.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Everything's Coming Up ‘Roblox' As Chris Hansen And Schlep Dig Into Its Predator Problem
It may be the biggest gaming platform in the world, but Roblox could not have had a worse week. While the problem of adults preying on vulnerable children in the online space, potentially leading to real-world harm, is not new to Roblox, things ramped up dramatically this week with the banning of Schlep, a long-time Roblox community member who made a name for himself catching online predators within the game, and his work actually led to six arrests so far. He says that he himself was 'groomed' in the game when he was younger, and it led him to do this work. Roblox has now banned him, saying that 'vigilantes' have at times created an 'unsafe environment for users,' which many players took to mean the predators they were trying to catch. While that may not have been what Roblox was trying to say, the community blowback was immediate and forceful. The same week, Roblox caught the eye of the Attorney General in Louisiana who announced she was suing the game for failing to protect children, and Roblox issued a lengthy rebuttal to the claims, detailing its various attempts and systems to keep children safe. But what's next, Chris Hansen showing up and telling people to take a seat? Well, about that. There were seemingly hard-to-believe rumors that To Catch a Predator's Chris Hansen was also going to throw a spotlight on Roblox, but Hansen confirmed the project on social media on Friday. He said he has been speaking with law enforcement, victims and working with people like the banned Schlep on the upcoming airing of the completed investigation. Though no, it's unlikely they'll be virtually trapping people like his old show. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Roblox stock is down 9% this past week alone in the wake of all this, and now, it's just issued a bunch of new safety updates trying to prune some of the problems away. That includes blocking users under 17 from Social Hangouts in private spaces. Those would be: And yes, before you ask, there are countless virtual sexual things that do in fact go on in those kinds of spaces, hence why these rules are now being enforced in the first place. There are more changes laid out here, and CEO David Baszucki made a lengthy YouTube video about them (which unsurprisingly, has more downvotes than upvotes): Given how long-running this problem has been, and the sheer size of Roblox, which has more active users than the entire Steam PC ecosystem, it's very clear this is not the last we'll hear of such problems, no matter what changes are made. But these latest situations, the bans, the lawsuits, the uh, Chris Hansen shows, are all still ongoing and we'll have to wait and see what comes from them. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
