🔗 Share this article

As part of a sustained effort to exert greater control over online communications, state authorities have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Restrictions

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that the two apps were being used to plan and execute terrorist acts on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud and other crimes aimed at the populace.

The regulator said it initiated the block against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, even though the decision was only reported on Thursday.

Wider Campaign of Internet Control

These latest moves follow comparable blocks targeting popular services such as Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. This wave of bans began in earnest after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in deliberate and multi-pronged efforts to control the digital space. Measures have included:

• Enacting stringent legislation.
• Blocking websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Perfecting technology to observe and control digital communications.

Other Instances of Crackdowns

Access to the YouTube platform was disrupted last year in a case of targeted interference by officials. The Kremlin attributed the issue to Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

Recently, officials tightened online access with widespread outages of cellphone internet connections. The government insisted this was required to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but critics contended an additional move to tighten control over the internet.

Action Against Communication Platforms

The government has also targeted popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were banned in 2024. This year, officials prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by saying the two apps were being facilitating criminal activities.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "national" communication platform called Max. Experts see it as a possible surveillance tool. The app openly declares it will hand over data with officials upon request, and analysts note it is not equipped with end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law classifies any platform where people can communicate as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This classification requires that platforms have an account with the regulator and provide Russia's security service with the ability to monitor user accounts. Platforms that fail to comply are non-compliant and can get blocked.

Seleznev noted that possibly many millions of Russians had been using FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on other messaging apps. He called the restrictions against the Apple service as "predictable" and stated that other platforms failing to cooperate with authorities "face blocking – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Also Targeted

As another development, the authorities announced it was banning Roblox, claiming it aimed at protecting children from inappropriate material. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular game platform in Russia last month, with nearly 8 million players.

While it remains feasible to bypass certain of these limitations by using VPN services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by the regulator as well.