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As part of a continued crackdown to increase oversight over internet access, Russian officials have cut off access to Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's video calling service, FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Ban

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that both applications were being used to plan and execute terrorist acts inside Russia, to enlist people and carry out fraud as well as various crimes aimed at the populace.

The regulator said it initiated the block targeting Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the decision was only made public more recently.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions follow comparable blocks against popular services like YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of restrictions began in earnest after the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, authorities have undertaken systematic and multi-pronged initiatives to rein in the internet. Measures have included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Outlawing digital platforms that fail to comply with local rules.
• Advancing technology to monitor and manipulate digital communications.

Recent Instances of Restrictions

Access to the YouTube platform was slowed in the past in what experts called intentional slowing by the authorities. Authorities blamed YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

This summer, officials tightened connectivity with extensive outages of cellular data connections. The government insisted this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts saw it as a further measure to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Platforms

Authorities has also acted against popular communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in recently. Furthermore, authorities prohibited voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the action by stating the two apps were being facilitating criminal activities.

Simultaneously, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "national" communication platform called Max. Observers regard it as a possible surveillance tool. The app explicitly states it will provide user information with the government upon request, and analysts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

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

This label mandates that platforms register with the regulator and allow Russia's security service with the ability to monitor user accounts. Platforms that fail to comply are in violation and may be banned.

Seleznev estimated that potentially tens of millions of users in Russia had been relying on FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on other messaging apps. He described the blocking of the service as "expected" and cautioned that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that is clear."

Entertainment Platforms Too Targeted

In a separate action, the government reported it was banning Roblox, citing protecting children from illicit content. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the number two gaming site in Russia in October, with nearly eight million players.

Although it remains feasible to get around a few of these restrictions by using VPN services, those are also often blocked by authorities as well.