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Amid a sustained campaign to exert greater control over digital platforms, Russian regulators have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Ban

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to plan and execute acts of terrorism within the country, to enlist people and commit fraud and other crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Officials reported it initiated the block on Snapchat in early October, though the announcement was publicly disclosed more recently.

Wider Campaign of Digital Crackdown

This recent action follow similar restrictions targeting major platforms such as Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of censorship intensified in the wake of the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have pursued calculated and wide-ranging strategies to rein in the internet. Measures have included:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing online services that do not comply with state demands.
• Developing technical capabilities to track and influence internet traffic.

Recent Instances of Blocks

Access to YouTube was throttled in the past in what experts called deliberate throttling by officials. Authorities attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

Recently, authorities further restricted online access with widespread disruptions of mobile internet connections. The government stated this was necessary to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts contended a further measure to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Apps

The government has also targeted popular communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in recently. This year, officials outlawed voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, explaining the measure by claiming the platforms were being used for criminal activities.

At the same time, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "domestic" communication platform called Max. Experts see it as a possible surveillance tool. The service openly declares it will provide user information with the government when asked, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Analysis

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework views any service where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This classification requires that such services establish a presence with the regulator and grant the FSB with access to communications. Services failing to do so are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially tens of millions of users in Russia had been relying on FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on other messaging apps. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and cautioned that other platforms refusing to comply with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that's obvious."

Gaming Sites Also Affected

As another move, the authorities announced it was banning the online game platform Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from harmful content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular gaming site in Russia recently, with close to eight million players.

While it remains feasible to circumvent some of these restrictions by utilizing VPN services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by the regulator as well.