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As part of a continued crackdown to tighten control over digital platforms, state officials have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Restrictions

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor stated that both applications were utilized to facilitate and carry out acts of terrorism inside Russia, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities and other crimes against citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it enforced the restriction against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the move was only made public on Thursday.

Broader Context of Internet Control

This recent action come after comparable restrictions targeting key apps like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. This wave of bans began in earnest after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued deliberate and comprehensive initiatives to rein in the internet. This has included:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Blocking digital platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Advancing systems to observe and control online traffic.

Recent Instances of Blocks

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled previously in an incident described as deliberate throttling by officials. The Kremlin blamed YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its hardware in Russia.

Recently, officials further restricted connectivity with extensive outages of cellular data connections. The government claimed this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but critics contended a further measure to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Apps

Authorities has also moved against widely-used messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. Furthermore, officials prohibited voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the action by saying the platforms were being facilitating crime.

Simultaneously, the state have actively promoted a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Critics regard it as a possible surveillance tool. The platform admits it will provide user information with authorities when asked, and experts note it is not equipped with end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Commentary

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework classifies any service where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation requires that platforms have an account with Roskomnadzor and provide state security with the ability to monitor user accounts. Those failing to do so are in violation and may be banned.

Seleznev estimated that possibly many millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the service as "expected" and cautioned that other sites that do not cooperate with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

In a related move, the government announced it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from harmful content. Per data from research group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest game platform in Russia in October, with approximately 8 million monthly users.

While it is still feasible to circumvent some of these restrictions by using VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by officials as well.