The Roblox Corporation has banned a prolific ‘predator hunter’ from the platform and issued to them a cease and desist order penned by the company’s lawyers, it has been revealed. In recent days, ‘Schlep’, a YouTuber with over 640,000 followers, has revealed a battle with Roblox that stems from his predator-hunting activities on the platform.
Schlep claims he has directly influenced the arrest of six predators using the Roblox ecosystem for nefarious activities, and historically, he has joined forces with other creators to trap and catch wrongdoers.
He’s now being pursued by the Roblox Corporation, which is eager to clamp down on his work, but the ‘FreeSchlep’ campaign is fighting back.
‘I Sleep Well at Night’
In a post on social media, Schlep expressed his sentiments towards the ban issued to him by Roblox, before following up with a copy of the cease and desist order sent by the company:
No matter how it gets painted, me and my team got 6 predators arrested within the Roblox community in under a year.
I sleep well at night knowing these people will not be able to abuse anymore children on Roblox. My work will always have amounted to something.
The cease and desist order from Roblox accused Schlep of:
- Engaging in simulated child endangerment conversations
- Sharing or soliciting personally identifiable information (PII)
- Directing users to move conversations off-platform
The claim is that Schlep and ‘his team’ are directly undermining Roblox’s safety efforts and exposing users to more risks.
Full legal cease and desist notice from Roblox to me.
Schlep uploaded a video talking about the FreeSchlep situation that garnered more than 1.3 million views in less than 48 hours:
The ban and legal action have prompted a social media campaign fronted by the hashtag #FreeSchlep. The creator and predator hunter has been supported by other YouTubers like JiDion, who created a 15-minute video explaining the situation and revealed that he too is being pursued by Roblox.
Roblox has had a clear and well-documented issue with predators and child safety for years. It’s a critical concern that has been addressed publicly by many activists and protestors fighting against the inherently unsafe platform. It’s not easy to keep children safe on Roblox, despite the lengths the company has gone to in a bid to protect them.
Recently, in a bizarre twist, it was suggested that Roblox might soon host a dating platform that users can lean on to find love in Roblox rather than meeting people in real life.
Do you think Roblox has a huge issue with predators, and this kind of legal action isn’t a good look for the corporation? Let me know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that EA wouldn’t fund a Dragon Age trilogy remaster
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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