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In a continued effort to tighten control over internet access, state authorities have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were being used to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities inside Russia, to enlist people and commit fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

Officials reported it took action against Snapchat on October 10, though the decision was only made public more recently.

Wider Context of Digital Crackdown

This recent action follow comparable limitations against popular services like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of censorship intensified in the wake of the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued calculated and multi-pronged efforts to control the internet. Measures have included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing digital platforms that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Developing technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Other Instances of Restrictions

Access to YouTube was slowed last year in a case of intentional slowing by regulators. Russian officials attributed the issue to Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

This summer, officials limited internet access with broad disruptions of mobile internet connections. The government stated this was necessary to prevent drone strikes, but critics contended another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Communication Platforms

Authorities has also targeted popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. This year, authorities banned voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, defending the measure by claiming the services were being facilitating crime.

At the same time, the state have championed a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Observers see it as a potential surveillance tool. The platform explicitly states it will hand over data with officials when asked, and experts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any service where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation obligates that such services register with Roskomnadzor and provide the FSB with access to communications. Platforms that fail to do so are in violation and may be banned.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the service as "expected" and stated that other sites that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "are likely to be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

In a related action, the government reported it was restricting the online game platform 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 in October, with approximately eight million monthly users.

Although it remains possible to bypass certain of these limitations by using virtual private network services, those are also often blocked by authorities as well.