Duolingo reportedly deletes references to LGBTQ people in app’s Russian version

The language learning company Duolingo has censored its app to comply with Russia’s law against “LGBT propaganda,” which bans the distribution of information about LGBTQ+ people, according to Russian state media.

On April 10, the Russian state news agency TASS reported that Roskomnadzor, Russia’s federal censorship service, had ordered Duolingo to check its materials for “LGBT propaganda” and to remove any content that violates Russian law. On Tuesday, TASS reported that Duolingo confirmed it had complied with the order.

Duolingo appears to have caught the Russian authorities’ attention in early February, when local media in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk said that an activist organization had reported the company to Roskomnadzor after receiving complaints from parents that the app contains references to the existence of LGBTQ+ people.