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Amid a sustained crackdown to tighten control over online communications, Russian regulators have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor claimed that these services were utilized to facilitate and carry out terrorist acts inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and carry out fraud along with other offenses targeting Russian citizens.

Officials stated it initiated the block on Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the announcement was publicly disclosed on Thursday.

Wider Context of Internet Control

These latest moves come after comparable restrictions targeting popular services such as YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of bans escalated following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued calculated and multi-pronged strategies to curtail the open internet. This has included:

• Adopting stringent legislation.
• Blocking websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Advancing technology to observe and control online traffic.

Other Examples of Restrictions

Access to the YouTube platform was disrupted in the past in an incident described as targeted interference by regulators. Authorities blamed Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

Recently, officials limited online access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was necessary to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts contended another step to tighten control over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Authorities has also acted against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were blocked in this year. Additionally, authorities banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by claiming the services were being used for crime.

At the same time, authorities have heavily pushed a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Critics view it as a possible tool for oversight. The platform admits it will hand over data with authorities upon request, and analysts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any platform where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This label obligates that such services have an account with Roskomnadzor and allow state security with the ability to monitor user accounts. Platforms that fail to comply are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev estimated that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on other messaging apps. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "predictable" and stated that other platforms failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Entertainment Platforms Also Affected

As another move, the authorities also said it was banning the online game platform Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from harmful content. Per data from research group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest game platform in Russia in October, with close to eight million players.

While it is still feasible to get around a few of these restrictions by employing VPN services, those are frequently targeted by authorities as well.