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Amid a sustained effort to tighten control over digital platforms, state authorities have restricted access to Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were being used to organize and conduct acts of terrorism inside Russia, to enlist people and carry out fraud along with other offenses aimed at the populace.

Officials said it took action targeting Snapchat in early October, although the decision was only reported more recently.

Broader Context of Online Restrictions

This recent action come after previous restrictions against popular services such as Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of restrictions began in earnest after the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, authorities have undertaken deliberate and wide-ranging initiatives to rein in the digital space. This has included:

• Adopting tough new laws.
• Outlawing digital platforms that fail to comply with state demands.
• Perfecting systems to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Recent Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled previously in a case of intentional slowing by the authorities. The Kremlin attributed the issue to Google for failing to maintain its hardware in Russia.

This summer, authorities further restricted internet access with widespread shutdowns of cellular data connections. The government stated this was necessary to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts argued another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Targeting Messaging Platforms

Authorities has also targeted popular messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in this year. Furthermore, authorities banned calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the ban by saying the services were being facilitating illegal activities.

Concurrently, the state have actively promoted a dubbed "national" messenger app called "Max". Observers view it as a potential tool for oversight. The service openly declares it will hand over data with officials upon request, and analysts note it does not use strong encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Commentary

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law classifies any service where people can communicate as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This classification obligates that platforms have an account with Roskomnadzor and provide Russia's security service with the ability to monitor communications. Platforms that fail to comply are breaking the law and may be banned.

Seleznev noted that potentially tens of millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on other messaging apps. He called the restrictions against the service as "predictable" and stated that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "face blocking – that is clear."

Gaming Platforms Also Targeted

As another development, the authorities announced it was blocking 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 nearly eight million players.

Although it is still feasible to get around a few of these restrictions by employing virtual private network services, VPNs themselves are frequently targeted by officials as well.