The developer of the hit video game platform Roblox has suspended in-game chat in the Middle Eastern market, in an agreement with telecom regulators.
The steps include the temporary removal of the hugely popular in-game chat and tighter moderation of content in Arabic in countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Palestine and Yemen.
The changes in the UAE were introduced by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, in a joint statement with the Roblox Corporation.
The move follows widely publicised concerns about child protection, including that chat functions in the game could allow predators to groom children.
“Together, we can create a secure and supportive online space where children can explore, learn and play with confidence,” the authority wrote on social media.
Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey blocked the platform in August, after earlier bans in Oman and Jordan. The game remains available in Saudi Arabia, one of the largest emerging video game markets in the region.
“Our long-term vision is to connect people with optimism and civility, by creating a platform where users of all ages can have a safe, civil and positive experience,” Roblox said on Thursday.
“As part of this vision, and in view of recent discussions with regulatory authorities in a number of countries across the Middle East, we are committing to enhance our Arabic communication and content moderation capabilities. While we undergo the next phase of this work, we are temporarily disabling certain communication features, including in-experience chat, for all users in Arabic speaking countries in the Middle East region, with immediate effect.”
Founded in 2006, Roblox is a free online gaming platform that hosts millions of user-created games, called “experiences”, which are created through Roblox Studio. In-game purchases are bought using its virtual currency robux, which game developers can exchange for real currency.
After several high-profile lawsuits in the US, Louisiana last month took legal action against the developers of the game, Roblox Corporation. It alleges the company failed to implement substantial safety controls and “knowingly enabled and facilitated the systemic sexual exploitation and abuse of children across the United States”.
Countries introduce bans
In Kuwait, the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority announced on August 21 it was temporarily blocking the platform after parents and community organisations voiced concern about child safety.
Qatar removed access on August 13. The government has so far not released a statement on the move.
Turkey banned it on August 7 with the company saying it was “working with local authorities” on a resolution. The UAE previously banned Roblox between 2018 and 2021.
Why is it being blocked?
Concerns over harmful content, nude or inappropriately dressed avatars and the ability for adults to converse with children, raising the risks of predatory behaviour, are behind the controversy.
Earlier this year, UK research agency Revealing Reality created Roblox accounts for fictional users aged five, nine, 10, 13 and over 40.
“In a short space of time, we revealed something deeply disturbing. Despite the safety features in place, adults and children can easily interact in the same virtual spaces with no effective age verification or separation,” the report said. “Our research confirmed that an account registered as a 42-year-old could add and publicly interact with our accounts registered as children as young as five years old and privately chat with accounts registered as 13 years old and above.
“Additionally, our account registered as a 10-year-old child was able to freely access highly suggestive environments. In these spaces, children were able to both observe and participate in conversations that often strayed into adult themes.”
Keeping your child safe
Parents can restrict what technology and games their children have access to. But with iPads a must for children at school, access to the latest games is constantly at their fingertips, so parents must be aware of new developments.
Parents should consider spending time on Roblox themselves to get an idea of what kind of games are available. Adults should create their own account linked to their child’s and set up strong parental controls. Adding an account pin number will lock parental settings and prevent children from changing them.
“Restrict in-game purchases by limiting or disabling spending to avoid unexpected charges and reduce pressure to buy,” Mudresh Shah, a manager at cyber security company Help AG, told The National last week. “Monitor your child’s chats and their online friends so you know who your child is interacting with and encourage open conversations about online safety.
“Teach safe clicking by showing them how to avoid suspicious links and downloads to prevent malware and enable two-factor authentication, which adds extra security beyond just passwords.”
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
CREW
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Napoleon
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
