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In a continued effort to tighten control over online communications, Russian authorities have restricted access to Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Restrictions

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that the two apps were employed to facilitate and carry out terrorist acts inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and carry out fraud and other crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it took action on Snapchat on October 10, though the move was only made public later.

Wider Campaign of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions follow previous restrictions imposed on popular services like Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of bans escalated in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in calculated and multi-pronged strategies to curtail the digital space. Measures have included:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that fail to comply with state demands.
• Developing technical capabilities to observe and control internet traffic.

Recent Examples of Blocks

Service for the YouTube platform was slowed last year in an incident described as intentional slowing by officials. Authorities pointed the finger at Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, authorities tightened online access with extensive outages of cellular data connections. Officials insisted this was required to counter drone strikes, but analysts argued a further measure to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Authorities has also targeted popular communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in recently. Additionally, officials outlawed voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by claiming the two apps were being facilitating illegal activities.

At the same time, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "national" communication platform called "Max". Observers see it as a potential surveillance tool. The platform explicitly states it will share user data with authorities when asked, and experts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Commentary

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law views any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation mandates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and grant the FSB with access to communications. Services failing to comply are non-compliant and may be banned.

Seleznev noted that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on other messaging apps. He called the blocking of the service as "predictable" and stated that further services failing to cooperate with authorities "face blocking – that is clear."

Entertainment Sites Also Targeted

As another action, the authorities reported it was blocking Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from harmful content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular gaming site in Russia last month, with close to eight million active users.

Although it is still feasible to get around a few of these blocks by employing virtual private network services, such tools are also often blocked by the regulator as well.