🔗 Share this article

As part of a continued crackdown to increase oversight over digital platforms, state officials have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor stated that both applications were employed to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud along with other offenses targeting Russian citizens.

The regulator reported it took action against Snapchat in early October, although the move was only made public more recently.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

These new restrictions follow comparable blocks against key apps including Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of restrictions began in earnest after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken systematic and multi-pronged efforts to curtail the open internet. This has included:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Outlawing digital platforms that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Perfecting technology to track and influence online traffic.

Recent Instances of Restrictions

Service for the YouTube platform was disrupted in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by officials. The Kremlin blamed YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

Recently, authorities tightened internet access with broad disruptions of mobile internet connections. Officials insisted this was required to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts contended an additional move to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Targeting Communication Apps

Regulators has also acted against widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. Additionally, authorities banned calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, defending the ban by claiming the services were being involved in criminal activities.

At the same time, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "national" communication platform called "Max". Experts regard it as a possible surveillance tool. The platform openly declares it will provide user information with officials if demanded, and analysts note it does not use full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any platform where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label requires that platforms have an account with the regulator and provide Russia's security service with access to user accounts. Platforms that fail to do so are in violation and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that perhaps tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the service as "predictable" and stated that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "face blocking – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Too Targeted

In a related action, the government also said it was banning the online game platform Roblox, citing child protection from inappropriate material. Per data from research group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular gaming site in Russia recently, with close to 8 million monthly users.

While it remains feasible to bypass certain of these limitations by using VPN services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by the regulator as well.