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As part of a sustained effort to tighten control over internet access, state officials have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that these services were employed to plan and execute acts of terrorism inside Russia, to enlist people and commit fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

The regulator said it enforced the restriction on Snapchat in early October, although the decision was only made public on Thursday.

Wider Context of Internet Control

This recent action come after similar limitations imposed on major platforms like YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of restrictions escalated after the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in deliberate and multi-pronged strategies to rein in the internet. Measures have included:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Banning online services that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Developing technical capabilities to observe and control digital communications.

Other Instances of Blocks

Service for YouTube was disrupted in the past in what experts called deliberate throttling by officials. Authorities attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

This summer, authorities tightened connectivity with widespread outages of mobile internet connections. The government insisted this was required to prevent drone strikes, but analysts argued another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Regulators has also targeted popular communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in this year. This year, officials banned voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the ban by claiming the two apps were being involved in criminal activities.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "national" messenger app called "Max". Critics see it as a potential surveillance tool. The service admits it will hand over data with officials upon request, and experts note it does not use strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Commentary

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations defines any service where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label requires that such services 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 pointed out that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, particularly after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the service as "predictable" and stated that other platforms refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Entertainment Sites Also Targeted

In a related development, the authorities also said it was blocking Roblox, claiming it aimed at protecting children from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular gaming site in Russia last month, with close to eight million active users.

Although it is still possible to circumvent some of these restrictions by employing VPN services, VPNs themselves are frequently targeted by authorities as well.