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Amid a continued effort to tighten control over online communications, state officials have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on the Apple video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Restrictions

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged that both applications were being used to plan and execute acts of terrorism inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud along with other offenses targeting Russian citizens.

The regulator stated it enforced the restriction against Snapchat in early October, although the announcement was publicly disclosed on Thursday.

Broader Context of Internet Control

This recent action come after comparable blocks targeting popular services like Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of restrictions escalated following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in calculated and comprehensive initiatives to control the open internet. This has included:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Banning online services that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Developing technical capabilities to observe and control internet traffic.

Other Examples of Restrictions

Access to the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by regulators. The Kremlin pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

This summer, officials tightened online access with broad disruptions of cellular data connections. Officials stated this was required to thwart drone strikes, but analysts contended a further measure to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Action Against Communication Apps

Authorities has also targeted widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in this year. Additionally, officials prohibited calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, explaining the ban by stating the two apps were being facilitating criminal activities.

Simultaneously, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "national" communication platform called Max. Critics see it as a potential monitoring instrument. The service openly declares it will hand over data with officials if demanded, and experts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

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

This designation obligates that such services establish a presence with the regulator and provide Russia's security service with access to communications. Services failing to do so are breaking the law and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that potentially many 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 service as "predictable" and stated that other platforms refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "are likely to be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Platforms Too Affected

As another action, the authorities announced it was banning Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from illicit content. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular game platform in Russia in October, with nearly 8 million active users.

Although it is still possible to bypass certain of these blocks by using VPN services, those are frequently targeted by the regulator as well.