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In a continued crackdown to tighten control over online communications, state authorities have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on the Apple video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor stated that the two apps were utilized to organize and conduct terrorist activities inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and carry out fraud as well as various crimes aimed at the populace.

Officials said it enforced the restriction targeting Snapchat back on the 10th of October, even though the decision was publicly disclosed later.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

These latest moves follow previous blocks imposed on key apps like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of censorship began in earnest following the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have undertaken calculated and wide-ranging efforts to control the digital space. This has included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Banning websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Advancing systems to track and influence digital communications.

Recent Examples of Blocks

Service for the YouTube platform was disrupted previously in what experts called targeted interference by the authorities. Russian officials attributed the issue to Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, authorities tightened online access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials claimed this was needed to thwart drone strikes, but analysts contended another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Communication Apps

Authorities has also acted against widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in this year. This year, officials prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the measure by saying the services were being used for criminal activities.

At the same time, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "national" communication platform called "Max". Critics view it as a potential monitoring instrument. The app explicitly states it will share user data with authorities when asked, and experts note it does not use strong encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Commentary

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework classifies any platform where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This classification mandates that platforms register with the regulator and grant Russia's security service with access to user data. Those failing to comply are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev estimated that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that further services refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – that is clear."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

As another action, the government announced it was restricting the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from illicit content. Per data from research group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two gaming site in Russia last month, with close to eight million active users.

While it is still feasible to bypass certain of these limitations by employing VPN services, VPNs themselves are frequently targeted by officials as well.