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

Stated Justifications for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that these services were employed to organize and conduct acts of terrorism within the country, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud and other crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it initiated the block against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the announcement was only made public on Thursday.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

This recent action come after comparable restrictions against major platforms such as Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. This wave of censorship began in earnest after the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in calculated and wide-ranging strategies to control the open internet. Measures have included:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Advancing technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Other Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in an incident described as intentional slowing by the authorities. Authorities attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its servers in Russia.

In recent months, authorities tightened connectivity with extensive shutdowns of mobile internet connections. The government claimed this was required to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts argued a further measure to increase control over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Platforms

Authorities has also moved against popular communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in 2024. This year, officials prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the action by saying the two apps were being facilitating illegal activities.

At the same time, authorities have heavily pushed a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Critics see it as a possible tool for oversight. The app explicitly states it will provide user information with authorities if demanded, and experts note it lacks end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Analysis

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

This label mandates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and provide the FSB with access to user data. Services failing to do so are breaking the law and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, particularly after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and warned that other sites that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

As another action, the government also said it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from inappropriate material. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular gaming site in Russia in October, with approximately eight million monthly users.

While it is still possible to circumvent some of these restrictions by utilizing virtual private network services, such tools are also often blocked by the regulator as well.