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In a continued effort to tighten control over digital platforms, state authorities have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Restrictions

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to plan and execute terrorist acts on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and engage in fraudulent activities along with other offenses against citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it enforced the restriction targeting Snapchat on October 10, even though the decision was only made public more recently.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions come after previous limitations imposed on key apps including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of bans intensified in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken calculated and multi-pronged strategies to rein in the open internet. This has included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Banning online services that refuse to cooperate with state demands.
• Advancing technical capabilities to observe and control digital communications.

Recent Instances of Restrictions

Access to YouTube was throttled in the past in an incident described as intentional slowing by officials. Authorities attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

Recently, officials tightened internet access with extensive disruptions of mobile internet connections. The government claimed this was required to prevent drone strikes, but analysts argued a further measure to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Communication Platforms

The government has also acted against popular messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in this year. Additionally, officials prohibited voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the ban by claiming the two apps were being facilitating crime.

At the same time, authorities have heavily pushed a dubbed "national" communication platform called Max. Critics see it as a potential monitoring instrument. The service openly declares it will share user data with officials when asked, and analysts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations views any service where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation mandates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and provide Russia's security service with the ability to monitor communications. Platforms that fail to meet these demands are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that potentially many millions of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "expected" and stated that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Also Affected

As another action, the authorities also said it was blocking Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from harmful content. According to research group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest gaming site in Russia last month, with approximately 8 million players.

Although it is still feasible to bypass certain of these blocks by using virtual private network services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by officials as well.