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Amid a continued campaign to exert greater control over digital platforms, state officials have blocked access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that both applications were being used to organize and conduct acts of terrorism within the country, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes against citizens.

Officials said it enforced the restriction targeting Snapchat in early October, although the decision was only made public more recently.

Wider Campaign of Digital Crackdown

This recent action are part of similar restrictions targeting key apps including YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of bans began in earnest in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have engaged in deliberate and wide-ranging efforts to rein in the internet. Actions have involved:

• Passing tough new laws.
• Blocking digital platforms that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Perfecting systems to track and influence internet traffic.

Other Examples of Restrictions

Service for YouTube was slowed previously in a case of targeted interference by regulators. Russian officials attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its hardware in Russia.

This summer, authorities tightened connectivity with broad disruptions of cellular data connections. Officials insisted this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts contended a further measure to tighten control over the internet.

Action Against Communication Apps

The government has also targeted widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in recently. This year, authorities banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the action by claiming the platforms were being used for illegal activities.

At the same time, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Observers see it as a possible tool for oversight. The platform openly declares it will provide user information with authorities if demanded, and analysts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Commentary

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law classifies any platform where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This label obligates that such services have an account with the regulator and provide state security with the ability to monitor user data. Services failing to do so are non-compliant and can get blocked.

Seleznev pointed out that possibly many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "expected" and warned that further services failing to cooperate with authorities "face blocking – that is clear."

Gaming Sites Also Affected

In a related action, the government announced it was banning the online game platform Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from illicit content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest gaming site in Russia recently, with nearly eight million players.

Although it is still possible to circumvent some of these blocks by using virtual private network services, such tools are frequently targeted by the regulator as well.