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As part of a ongoing effort to increase oversight over digital platforms, state officials have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Ban

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged that both applications were employed to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud and other crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it initiated the block against Snapchat in early October, although the announcement was only reported on Thursday.

Wider Context of Internet Control

These new restrictions follow previous limitations targeting key apps like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of restrictions escalated after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have pursued systematic and multi-pronged initiatives to curtail the internet. Actions have involved:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Banning websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Perfecting technology to observe and control online traffic.

Recent Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled last year in what experts called deliberate throttling by the authorities. Authorities attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its servers in Russia.

This summer, officials limited internet access with extensive disruptions of mobile internet connections. The government insisted this was needed to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts contended a further measure to tighten control over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Authorities has also acted against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in this year. This year, officials banned calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the measure by stating the platforms were being involved in crime.

At the same time, authorities have championed a so-called "national" communication platform called Max. Observers view it as a potential monitoring instrument. The platform openly declares it will provide user information with authorities upon request, and experts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Commentary

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

This label mandates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and allow Russia's security service with the ability to monitor user accounts. Services failing to meet these demands are breaking the law and may be banned.

Seleznev estimated that perhaps tens of millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and warned that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Entertainment Platforms Also Affected

In a related development, the government also said it was blocking Roblox, claiming it aimed at safeguarding minors from harmful content. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest game platform in Russia recently, with approximately 8 million players.

Although it is still possible to bypass certain of these blocks by employing virtual private network services, VPNs themselves are frequently targeted by authorities as well.