Roblox’s current moderation practices regarding knockoff copies of expensive faces have led to a significant issue in the UGC catalog. Creators have discovered and are actively exploiting a loophole where they can upload identical replicas of famous faces by adding a minor alteration, such as a tiny dot or symbol in the top right corner. This dot is usually hidden under hair and is deemed sufficient by moderators to bypass takedown actions. As a result, the catalog is being flooded with low-quality knockoff copies of iconic and expensive Roblox faces, devaluing the original assets and frustrating the community.
A prime example of this exploitation is the group linked here: Super Happy UGCs - Roblox
This group is responsible for uploading 1:1 replicas of expensive Roblox faces with trivial alterations like small dots or symbols in the top right. They have profited millions of Robux by capitalizing on this loophole, undermining the integrity of the UGC catalog.
An anecdotal case illustrating this issue involves the creator of this VERY group filing a bug report related to their copied “Super Super Happy Face” being taken down. The face had minimal changes, such as adding small lashes to evade moderation. Initially, the face was removed from the catalog, but the creator appealed through the Appeals Portal. Despite the clear violation, a human moderator reviewed the appeal and incorrectly accepted it. However, the face was not restored, leading the creator to submit this bug report:
In response, a moderation engineer explained that the system correctly recognized the face as a violation of UGC validation rules and automatically prevented its restoration, overriding the moderator’s misinformed decision:
This case perfectly illustrates the flawed moderation process. The moderator’s decision to approve the appeal highlights how moderation currently overlooks or dismisses knockoff items with small, intentional differences (like the lashes or dots) as non-violations of the rules. Meanwhile, the system correctly flagged the item, demonstrating that these minor modifications do not make the items compliant. This should eliminate any debate about whether these items are rule violations—they clearly are.
The issue lies in the fact that moderators generally only remove faces that are exactly identical to the originals. When reviewing reported knockoffs, they go out of their way to find minuscule differences like extra lashes or small, irrelevant dots and use them as excuses to dismiss the reports. This practice sets a harmful precedent, as it enables creators to flood the catalog with knockoffs while making minor, non-visible changes to evade enforcement. Moderators are fully capable of recognizing these similarities, but the current system incentivizes them to prioritize technical distinctions over the substance of the violation.
The community has expressed widespread backlash against the creator of the Super Happy UGCs group, with significant support for stricter measures, including shutting down groups that exploit this loophole. Examples of the community backlash can be seen in these posts:
However, as long as this bug persists, effective moderation will remain out of reach.
The ideal solution is to update the moderation practices so that knockoff items with superficial changes—like extra lashes, dots, or trivial symbols—are properly recognized and removed. The current precedent that only identical copies should be taken down must be re-evaluated. Moderators should no longer rely on small, irrelevant differences as excuses to let these items stay in the catalog.
This issue is one of many moderation challenges facing Roblox, but resolving this would represent a major step forward. Urgent action is needed to preserve the quality and integrity of the catalog.
Relevant mentions: @starhiker13, @knknGoing, @safetymod
A private message is associated with this bug report
