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Amid a continued effort to increase oversight over online communications, Russian officials have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Ban

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were employed to plan and execute terrorist acts within the country, to enlist people and engage in fraudulent activities and other crimes against citizens.

Officials stated it enforced the restriction on Snapchat on October 10, although the decision was only reported later.

Broader Campaign of Online Restrictions

These new restrictions follow comparable blocks imposed on popular services including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of restrictions began in earnest after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in calculated and multi-pronged strategies to curtail the open internet. This has included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Banning websites and platforms that fail to comply with local rules.
• Developing systems to monitor and manipulate digital communications.

Other Instances of Blocks

Access to the YouTube platform was disrupted in the past in an incident described as intentional slowing by the authorities. Authorities blamed Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

This summer, officials limited internet access with widespread outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials claimed this was needed to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts argued an additional move to tighten control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Platforms

Regulators has also acted against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in recently. Additionally, authorities banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the measure by saying the services were being used for crime.

At the same time, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "domestic" communication platform called "Max". Critics regard it as a possible surveillance tool. The app explicitly states it will hand over data with authorities upon request, and analysts note it lacks full encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any platform where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation mandates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and provide the FSB with entry to user data. Services failing to do so are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that is clear."

Entertainment Platforms Also Affected

As another move, the authorities also said it was blocking Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from inappropriate material. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular game platform in Russia last month, with nearly eight million active users.

Although it remains feasible to bypass certain of these restrictions by employing VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by authorities as well.