The language learning app Duolingo continues to operate in Russia and comply with the requirements of local authorities. After one of them, the company removed references to what Moscow calls "non-traditional sexual relations" in the app, Reuters reports.
Duolingo took such action after Roskomnadzor warned it about the publication of LGBT content, which is classified as "extremism" in Russia. The regulator sent a letter to Duolingo warning it against publishing such materials.
"We support LGBTQ+ rights and believe in normalizing LGBTQ+ representation in our content," a Duolingo spokesperson said."Unfortunately, local laws prohibit us from including certain content in Russia. Duolingo’s mission is to expand access to quality education around the world and we’re committed to maintaining access to our product everywhere that is legal to do so."
Reuters cites Russian news agencies that have disseminated a statement from Roskomnadzor. In it, the regulator states that the company has reported the removal of references to LGBT people in the app.
"The company Duolingo sent Roskomnadzor a letter in response, in which it confirmed that it had deleted materials promoting non-traditional sexual relations from its training app," said in a statement.
Last year, Russia expanded restrictions on the promotion of what it calls LGBT propaganda, amid a broader crackdown on LGBT rights that vladimir putin has sought to portray as evidence of moral decline in Western countries.
In Russia, the LGBT movement has been recognized as extremist and those who support it as terrorists, which opens the way for serious criminal cases against LGBT people and their defenders. Local courts impose fines on those who violate the law.