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As part of a sustained campaign to tighten control over digital platforms, state regulators have restricted access to Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were employed to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities within the country, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities and other crimes against citizens.

The regulator reported it took action against Snapchat in early October, though the move was only made public on Thursday.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

These latest moves are part of previous limitations against major platforms such as YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of censorship escalated in the wake of the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, authorities have undertaken deliberate and comprehensive efforts to rein in the digital space. Actions have involved:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Banning websites and platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Perfecting systems to track and influence digital communications.

Recent Examples of Blocks

Service for YouTube was slowed in the past in what experts called targeted interference by officials. Russian officials pointed the finger at Google for failing to maintain its servers in Russia.

This summer, officials limited online access with widespread outages of cellphone internet connections. The government claimed this was necessary to prevent drone strikes, but experts argued another step to tighten control over the digital landscape.

Targeting Communication Platforms

The government has also moved against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in recently. Furthermore, officials outlawed calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the action by stating the services were being facilitating crime.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Experts view it as a potential monitoring instrument. The platform explicitly states it will provide user information with officials upon request, and analysts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework views any platform where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation obligates that platforms register with the regulator and allow state security with the ability to monitor user accounts. Services failing to meet these demands are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the blocking of the service as "expected" and warned that other sites that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that's obvious."

Entertainment Platforms Also Affected

As another move, the government reported it was restricting the online game platform Roblox, claiming it aimed at safeguarding minors from illicit content. According to research group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two gaming site in Russia last month, with approximately 8 million players.

Although it is still possible to bypass certain of these restrictions by utilizing virtual private network services, such tools are also often blocked by the regulator as well.