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As part of a continued effort to exert greater control over internet access, Russian regulators have cut off access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that both applications were being used to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities along with other offenses against citizens.

The regulator stated it took action on Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the announcement was publicly disclosed on Thursday.

Broader Campaign of Internet Control

This recent action are part of comparable restrictions imposed on key apps including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of censorship intensified following the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, authorities have pursued calculated and comprehensive initiatives to control the digital space. Measures have included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Outlawing digital platforms that do not comply with state demands.
• Perfecting technical capabilities to track and influence online traffic.

Recent Instances of Crackdowns

Service for YouTube was slowed in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by officials. Russian officials blamed Google for failing to maintain its servers in Russia.

This summer, authorities limited connectivity with widespread outages of mobile internet connections. The government stated this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts saw it as another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Action Against Communication Platforms

Authorities has also acted against widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in recently. Furthermore, authorities outlawed calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, justifying the measure by stating the two apps were being involved in crime.

Simultaneously, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "national" messenger app called "Max". Observers view it as a potential tool for oversight. The service openly declares it will share user data with the government upon request, and analysts note it is not equipped with end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

Per cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This classification obligates that such services register with Roskomnadzor and grant the FSB with entry to user data. Those failing to meet these demands are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev noted that perhaps tens of millions of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and warned that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that's obvious."

Gaming Platforms Also Targeted

In a separate action, the government reported it was restricting Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from inappropriate material. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the number two game platform in Russia in October, with close to eight million active users.

Although it is still feasible to bypass certain of these restrictions by utilizing virtual private network services, such tools are routinely blocked by authorities as well.