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As part of a ongoing campaign to tighten control over digital platforms, state regulators have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor stated that the two apps were employed to plan and execute terrorist activities on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud as well as various crimes aimed at the populace.

The regulator stated it enforced the restriction against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the announcement was only reported on Thursday.

Wider Campaign of Internet Control

These new restrictions are part of comparable blocks targeting key apps including YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of censorship escalated in the wake of the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken calculated and multi-pronged strategies to control the internet. Measures have included:

• Adopting tough new laws.
• Blocking online services that do not comply with state demands.
• Advancing technology to track and influence online traffic.

Recent Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was slowed last year in a case of targeted interference by officials. Authorities attributed the issue to Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, authorities limited internet access with broad shutdowns of mobile internet connections. Officials claimed this was required to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts contended a further measure to increase control over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Platforms

The government has also targeted widely-used communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. This year, authorities outlawed voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by saying the two apps were being facilitating criminal activities.

Simultaneously, the state have heavily pushed a dubbed "national" messenger app called "Max". Observers see it as a possible monitoring instrument. The app explicitly states it will hand over data with the government if demanded, and experts note it lacks strong encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Analysis

Per cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations defines any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label obligates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and grant Russia's security service with entry to user data. Those failing to do so are in violation and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "are likely to be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Too Targeted

In a separate action, the authorities reported it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, citing protecting children from illicit content. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the number two game platform in Russia recently, with nearly eight million monthly users.

Although it remains feasible to circumvent some of these blocks by employing virtual private network services, such tools are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.