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As part of a ongoing crackdown to tighten control over digital platforms, Russian regulators have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to organize and conduct terrorist acts inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

The regulator said it took action targeting Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the decision was publicly disclosed more recently.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

These latest moves follow comparable restrictions against popular services including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of restrictions escalated after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in calculated and multi-pronged initiatives to rein in the digital space. Actions have involved:

• Passing tough new laws.
• Blocking online services that do not comply with state demands.
• Perfecting systems to track and influence online traffic.

Other Instances of Restrictions

Access to YouTube was throttled in the past in what experts called targeted interference by regulators. Russian officials attributed the issue to Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, officials tightened online access with extensive outages of cellular data connections. The government claimed this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts argued a further measure to tighten control over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Platforms

The government has also acted against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in this year. This year, authorities banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the action by saying the platforms were being facilitating crime.

Simultaneously, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "domestic" messenger app called "Max". Experts view it as a potential surveillance tool. The platform openly declares it will provide user information with authorities when asked, and analysts note it does not use strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Commentary

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations defines any service where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This label mandates that such services establish a presence with the regulator and allow state security with access to user accounts. Those failing to comply are breaking the law and face blocking.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially many millions of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "expected" and stated that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Gaming Sites Too Targeted

In a related action, the authorities reported it was restricting Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from harmful content. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the number two game platform in Russia last month, with close to 8 million monthly users.

While it is still possible to bypass certain of these limitations by using VPN services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by the regulator as well.