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In a ongoing campaign to increase oversight over online communications, state authorities have restricted access to Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were employed to plan and execute acts of terrorism inside Russia, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Officials said it took action targeting Snapchat in early October, even though the announcement was only made public on Thursday.

Wider Campaign of Digital Crackdown

These latest moves come after comparable restrictions against major platforms including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of bans intensified in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have pursued systematic and comprehensive efforts to control the open internet. Measures have included:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Banning online services that fail to comply with state demands.
• Developing technical capabilities to observe and control internet traffic.

Recent Instances of Crackdowns

Service for YouTube was slowed previously in an incident described as intentional slowing by the authorities. Authorities pointed the finger at Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

This summer, authorities further restricted internet access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was required to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts contended another step to tighten control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Platforms

Regulators has also moved against widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in recently. Furthermore, officials prohibited calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the action by stating the services were being used for illegal activities.

At the same time, the state have championed a so-called "domestic" communication platform called Max. Critics see it as a possible tool for oversight. The platform explicitly states it will hand over data with authorities when asked, and experts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Commentary

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any service where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This classification obligates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and allow Russia's security service with entry to communications. Platforms that fail to meet these demands are breaking the law and face blocking.

Seleznev pointed out that possibly tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, particularly after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that other platforms refusing to comply with authorities "are likely to be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

As another action, the government also said it was blocking Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from harmful content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular game platform in Russia in October, with close to 8 million players.

Although it remains feasible to get around a few of these restrictions by utilizing virtual private network services, such tools are frequently targeted by officials as well.