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As part of a ongoing effort to exert greater control over digital platforms, state officials have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were being used to plan and execute terrorist activities inside Russia, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes against citizens.

Officials said it enforced the restriction against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the decision was publicly disclosed more recently.

Wider Campaign of Online Restrictions

This recent action are part of previous restrictions against key apps like Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of bans escalated after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, authorities have undertaken deliberate and wide-ranging efforts to curtail the internet. This has included:

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

Recent Instances of Crackdowns

Service for YouTube was disrupted in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by the authorities. Russian officials blamed Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

This summer, officials limited internet access with broad outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was needed to thwart drone strikes, but critics saw it as another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Regulators has also moved against popular messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in 2024. This year, officials outlawed voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the action by stating the services were being facilitating crime.

Simultaneously, authorities have heavily pushed a dubbed "domestic" communication platform called Max. Critics regard it as a potential surveillance tool. The service openly declares it will share user data with authorities if demanded, and experts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

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

This designation mandates that platforms have an account with the regulator and allow the FSB with access to communications. Services failing to comply are in violation and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that possibly many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the Apple service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms failing to cooperate with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Entertainment Platforms Too Targeted

As another move, the government also said it was banning the online game platform Roblox, citing child protection from illicit content. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular game platform in Russia in October, with approximately 8 million active users.

While it is still feasible to get around a few of these restrictions by employing virtual private network services, those are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.