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Amid a sustained crackdown to tighten control over online communications, state regulators have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were being used to organize and conduct terrorist activities inside Russia, to enlist people and commit fraud along with other offenses aimed at the populace.

Roskomnadzor said it initiated the block targeting Snapchat on October 10, although the move was only made public more recently.

Broader Campaign of Internet Control

These new restrictions come after similar limitations against major platforms including Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of censorship began in earnest following the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have engaged in systematic and comprehensive initiatives to curtail the digital space. Measures have included:

• Adopting stringent legislation.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that fail to comply with local rules.
• Advancing technical capabilities to observe and control internet traffic.

Other Instances of Blocks

Service for YouTube was disrupted previously in an incident described as deliberate throttling by officials. Russian officials attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its hardware in Russia.

Recently, officials tightened internet access with broad shutdowns of cellphone internet connections. Officials claimed this was required to counter drone strikes, but analysts saw it as another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Regulators has also moved against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were banned in recently. This year, officials banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, explaining the ban by claiming the services were being used for crime.

Simultaneously, the state have championed a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Experts view it as a potential surveillance tool. The platform admits it will share user data with authorities if demanded, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

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

This label mandates that such services register with the regulator and allow state security with the ability to monitor user accounts. Services failing to do so are non-compliant and may be banned.

Seleznev estimated that potentially tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on other messaging apps. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that other sites refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that's obvious."

Gaming Platforms Too Affected

As another move, the government also said it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, claiming it aimed at child protection from inappropriate material. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the number two gaming site in Russia recently, with approximately eight million monthly users.

Although it is still feasible to get around a few of these limitations by utilizing VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.