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Amid a sustained effort to tighten control over online communications, state authorities have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Ban

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to facilitate and carry out terrorist acts inside Russia, to enlist people and carry out fraud as well as various crimes against citizens.

Officials reported it initiated the block against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, though the decision was only reported on Thursday.

Broader Campaign of Online Restrictions

These latest moves come after similar restrictions targeting major platforms like YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of restrictions intensified following the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken calculated and multi-pronged efforts to control the open internet. This has included:

• Enacting stringent legislation.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Developing systems to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Other Examples of Blocks

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in what experts called targeted interference by the authorities. The Kremlin blamed Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

In recent months, officials limited connectivity with broad outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials insisted this was required to counter drone strikes, but analysts argued another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Action Against Communication Platforms

Regulators has also targeted popular communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in recently. Additionally, authorities outlawed calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, defending the measure by claiming the two apps were being used for criminal activities.

Simultaneously, the state have actively promoted a dubbed "national" messenger app called Max. Observers regard it as a possible surveillance tool. The app explicitly states it will share user data with the government if demanded, and experts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Analysis

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any service where people can communicate as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This classification obligates that such services register with the regulator and allow the FSB with access to communications. Services failing to do so are in violation and face blocking.

Seleznev estimated that potentially a large number of Russians had been using FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "predictable" and stated that further services that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Entertainment Sites Too Targeted

As another move, the authorities announced it was blocking Roblox, claiming it aimed at child protection from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest gaming site in Russia in October, with approximately eight million active users.

Although it remains feasible to bypass certain of these restrictions by utilizing VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by authorities as well.