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In a sustained crackdown to exert greater control over digital platforms, Russian regulators have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that these services were employed to organize and conduct acts of terrorism on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and carry out fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it took action targeting Snapchat on October 10, though the decision was only made public on Thursday.

Wider Campaign of Internet Control

These latest moves come after previous restrictions against major platforms such as Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of censorship escalated in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken calculated and wide-ranging initiatives to control the digital space. This has included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Developing systems to track and influence online traffic.

Other Examples of Restrictions

Access to the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in a case of intentional slowing by the authorities. Russian officials attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

This summer, authorities further restricted internet access with extensive outages of cellular data connections. The government insisted this was needed to counter drone strikes, but analysts argued another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Targeting Communication Platforms

Authorities has also moved against widely-used 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 action by saying the services were being facilitating criminal activities.

At the same time, authorities have championed a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Critics see it as a possible surveillance tool. The platform admits it will provide user information with officials upon request, and experts note it lacks full encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

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

This label obligates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and provide state security with entry to communications. Platforms that fail to meet these demands are non-compliant and can get blocked.

Seleznev noted that possibly many millions of users in Russia had been relying on FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and stated that other platforms refusing to comply with authorities "face blocking – that's obvious."

Gaming Platforms Too Affected

As another action, the government announced it was banning the online game platform Roblox, claiming it aimed at safeguarding minors from harmful content. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular gaming site in Russia in October, with close to eight million monthly users.

While it is still possible to get around a few of these blocks by using VPN services, those are also often blocked by officials as well.