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As part of a continued effort to exert greater control over online communications, Russian regulators have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were utilized to plan and execute terrorist activities within the country, to enlist people and carry out fraud as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it enforced the restriction on Snapchat on October 10, even though the decision was publicly disclosed more recently.

Wider Context of Internet Control

These latest moves are part of similar limitations targeting key apps including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. This wave of bans escalated in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued deliberate and wide-ranging efforts to control the open internet. Actions have involved:

• Enacting stringent legislation.
• Banning websites and platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Perfecting technology to observe and control internet traffic.

Other Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in what experts called targeted interference by the authorities. Authorities pointed the finger at Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

Recently, officials further restricted online access with extensive outages of cellular data connections. Officials stated this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but critics saw it as a further measure to tighten control over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Authorities has also moved against widely-used messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in recently. This year, officials banned calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by saying the two apps were being used for criminal activities.

At the same time, the state have actively promoted a dubbed "domestic" messenger app called "Max". Critics see it as a possible monitoring instrument. The service explicitly states it will share user data with the government when asked, and experts note it lacks end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework views any platform where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation requires that such services have an account with the regulator and grant Russia's security service with the ability to monitor user accounts. Those failing to meet these demands are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev estimated that perhaps many millions of Russians had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "predictable" and stated that other platforms that do not cooperate with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that's obvious."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

As another move, the authorities also said it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular game platform in Russia in October, with nearly eight million active users.

Although it is still feasible to circumvent some of these limitations by using virtual private network services, those are also often blocked by the regulator as well.