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Amid a ongoing effort to exert greater control over online communications, state regulators have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were utilized to organize and conduct acts of terrorism within the country, for recruiting individuals and commit fraud and other crimes against citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it enforced the restriction against Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the move was publicly disclosed on Thursday.

Broader Campaign of Online Restrictions

These new restrictions follow similar limitations targeting key apps such as Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of censorship began in earnest in the wake of the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, authorities have pursued deliberate and multi-pronged efforts to rein in the digital space. Actions have involved:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing digital platforms that fail to comply with local rules.
• Perfecting technical capabilities to observe and control online traffic.

Other Instances of Blocks

Service for YouTube was slowed in the past in what experts called targeted interference by regulators. The Kremlin pointed the finger at Google for allegedly neglecting its infrastructure in Russia.

In recent months, authorities tightened online access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials claimed this was needed to prevent drone strikes, but critics argued a further measure to increase control over the internet.

Action Against Communication Apps

The government has also targeted widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were blocked in this year. This year, officials banned calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the ban by stating the services were being used for crime.

At the same time, the state have actively promoted a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Experts see it as a potential tool for oversight. The service explicitly states it will share user data with authorities when asked, and experts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Analysis

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

This classification obligates that platforms register with the regulator and allow the FSB with entry to communications. Those failing to meet these demands are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that potentially many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the service as "expected" and cautioned that further services failing to cooperate with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that is clear."

Gaming Sites Also Targeted

In a related move, the authorities announced it was blocking Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from harmful content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two gaming site in Russia recently, with approximately eight million monthly users.

While it is still feasible to circumvent some of these blocks by using virtual private network services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by officials as well.