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In a continued effort to increase oversight over internet access, state regulators have blocked access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Ban

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were employed to organize and conduct terrorist acts on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Officials reported it enforced the restriction targeting Snapchat in early October, though the announcement was only made public on Thursday.

Wider Context of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions follow similar limitations imposed on major platforms such as Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of censorship escalated following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in systematic and multi-pronged efforts to curtail the internet. Measures have included:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing online services that fail to comply with state demands.
• Advancing technology to observe and control digital communications.

Other Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by regulators. Russian officials blamed YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

This summer, officials further restricted connectivity with extensive shutdowns of cellular data connections. The government insisted this was necessary to prevent drone strikes, but experts contended a further measure to tighten control over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Apps

The government has also moved against widely-used communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in 2024. This year, officials prohibited voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the measure by claiming the platforms were being involved in criminal activities.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "domestic" messenger app called Max. Experts see it as a possible surveillance tool. The service explicitly states it will share user data with officials if demanded, and experts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any service where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This label obligates that platforms have an account with Roskomnadzor and grant Russia's security service with the ability to monitor user data. Those failing to meet these demands are in violation and may be banned.

Seleznev estimated that possibly a large number of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the service as "expected" and stated that further services failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

In a related development, the government announced it was restricting the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest game platform in Russia last month, with close to 8 million active users.

Although it remains possible to get around a few of these blocks by employing VPN services, those are routinely blocked by officials as well.