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In a continued effort to exert greater control over digital platforms, state officials have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on the Apple video calling service, FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that both applications were employed to organize and conduct acts of terrorism on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it initiated the block targeting Snapchat in early October, though the move was only reported more recently.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

These latest moves are part of comparable restrictions against popular services like YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of bans escalated following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have pursued systematic and multi-pronged efforts to curtail the internet. Actions have involved:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Outlawing online services that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Advancing technical capabilities to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Other Examples of Restrictions

Service for the YouTube platform was disrupted last year in a case of targeted interference by regulators. Russian officials pointed the finger at Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, officials further restricted internet access with broad outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was required to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but critics argued an additional move to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Communication Apps

Regulators has also acted against popular messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were blocked in this year. Additionally, officials outlawed voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the measure by claiming the services were being used for criminal activities.

Concurrently, the state have actively promoted a dubbed "domestic" communication platform called "Max". Observers see it as a possible monitoring instrument. The app openly declares it will hand over data with officials if demanded, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Commentary

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations views any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label mandates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and provide the FSB with entry to communications. Those failing to meet these demands are non-compliant and can get blocked.

Seleznev pointed out that possibly tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "predictable" and cautioned that further services that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that is clear."

Gaming Sites Also Targeted

As another move, the government reported it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, claiming it aimed at safeguarding minors from harmful content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest gaming site in Russia in October, with nearly 8 million players.

While it is still possible to bypass certain of these restrictions by utilizing VPN services, such tools are frequently targeted by officials as well.