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Amid a sustained effort to tighten control over online communications, Russian officials have restricted access to Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Ban

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged that the two apps were utilized to plan and execute terrorist activities on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and commit fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

The regulator stated it initiated the block against Snapchat on October 10, although the move was only made public more recently.

Broader Context of Internet Control

This recent action come after similar restrictions targeting major platforms such as YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of bans began in earnest after the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in calculated and comprehensive efforts to control the open internet. Actions have involved:

• Adopting tough new laws.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with state demands.
• Perfecting systems to track and influence digital communications.

Recent Examples of Crackdowns

Access to YouTube was disrupted previously in what experts called targeted interference by officials. Authorities blamed YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

In recent months, authorities tightened connectivity with broad outages of cellular data connections. The government claimed this was needed to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts saw it as an additional move to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Platforms

The government has also acted against widely-used communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in recently. Furthermore, authorities prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by saying the services were being facilitating criminal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have championed a dubbed "national" messenger app called Max. Experts view it as a possible surveillance tool. The service explicitly states it will share user data with officials when asked, and analysts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Analysis

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework defines any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation obligates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and provide the FSB with access to user data. Platforms that fail to comply are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev pointed out that possibly tens of millions of Russians had been using FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "predictable" and cautioned that other platforms that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that's obvious."

Entertainment Sites Also Targeted

In a separate development, the authorities announced it was restricting Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular game platform in Russia last month, with nearly eight million active users.

While it remains feasible to get around a few of these limitations by utilizing virtual private network services, such tools are also often blocked by the regulator as well.