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As part of a ongoing effort to increase oversight over online communications, state authorities have cut off access to Snapchat and imposed restrictions on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor stated that the two apps were being used to plan and execute terrorist activities on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and commit fraud as well as various crimes against citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it initiated the block targeting Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the announcement was publicly disclosed more recently.

Wider Campaign of Internet Control

These new restrictions come after similar limitations targeting major platforms like YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of censorship escalated in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in deliberate and comprehensive efforts to control the open internet. This has included:

• Adopting stringent legislation.
• Blocking online services that do not comply with Russian regulations.
• Advancing systems to track and influence internet traffic.

Recent Instances of Crackdowns

Access to the YouTube platform was throttled previously in an incident described as intentional slowing by regulators. The Kremlin blamed YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, officials further restricted online access with broad outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials insisted this was necessary to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts argued another step to tighten control over the internet.

Action Against Communication Platforms

Regulators has also moved against popular messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. Furthermore, officials outlawed voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the action by claiming the two apps were being involved in illegal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have heavily pushed a dubbed "domestic" messenger app called "Max". Critics view it as a possible surveillance tool. The service explicitly states it will share user data with authorities upon request, and experts note it lacks strong encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations defines any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation obligates that such services register with Roskomnadzor and allow state security with access to user accounts. Services failing to meet these demands are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev estimated that possibly tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on other messaging apps. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that other platforms failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

In a related development, the government announced it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from harmful content. Per data from research group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two game platform in Russia last month, with close to eight million players.

Although it is still feasible to bypass certain of these blocks by using VPN services, such tools are also often blocked by authorities as well.