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In a continued campaign to tighten control over digital platforms, Russian officials have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were employed to plan and execute acts of terrorism inside Russia, to enlist people and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes aimed at the populace.

The regulator stated it took action against Snapchat in early October, although the announcement was only reported later.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

These latest moves follow previous restrictions targeting popular services like Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of bans intensified in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in systematic and wide-ranging initiatives to curtail the open internet. This has included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing digital platforms that do not comply with Russian regulations.
• Perfecting technology to monitor and manipulate digital communications.

Recent Instances of Blocks

Access to YouTube was disrupted last year in what experts called intentional slowing by officials. Authorities blamed YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its infrastructure in Russia.

In recent months, officials tightened online access with extensive shutdowns of mobile internet connections. The government stated this was needed to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts saw it as an additional move to tighten control over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Platforms

The government has also moved against widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were blocked in recently. Furthermore, officials banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the action by stating the two apps were being used for criminal activities.

At the same time, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Experts see it as a possible tool for oversight. The platform admits it will hand over data with the government upon request, and experts note it lacks full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any service where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation requires that such services have an account with the regulator and grant state security with entry to communications. Platforms that fail to meet these demands are breaking the law and may be banned.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "expected" and stated that further services failing to cooperate with authorities "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Entertainment Sites Too Affected

In a related move, the government announced it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from illicit content. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the number two game platform in Russia recently, with close to 8 million active users.

Although it remains possible to circumvent some of these blocks by using virtual private network services, those are frequently targeted by the regulator as well.