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Amid a continued effort to increase oversight over internet access, state regulators have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to organize and conduct terrorist activities inside Russia, to enlist people and commit fraud and other crimes aimed at the populace.

Roskomnadzor reported it initiated the block against Snapchat in early October, although the decision was only made public on Thursday.

Broader Context of Online Restrictions

These latest moves are part of previous limitations imposed on key apps including Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of censorship intensified in the wake of the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, authorities have engaged in deliberate and comprehensive initiatives to control the open internet. Measures have included:

• Adopting tough new laws.
• Banning websites and platforms that fail to comply with state demands.
• Perfecting technology to track and influence online traffic.

Recent Instances of Restrictions

Access to the YouTube platform was disrupted last year in a case of intentional slowing by the authorities. The Kremlin blamed YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

This summer, authorities further restricted online access with broad shutdowns of cellphone internet connections. The government insisted this was required to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but critics saw it as an additional move to increase control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Platforms

The government has also acted against widely-used communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in 2024. Additionally, authorities banned voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the action by claiming the platforms were being used for crime.

Concurrently, the state have heavily pushed a so-called "national" communication platform called Max. Critics regard it as a possible monitoring instrument. The platform admits it will hand over data with officials upon request, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations views any service where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This classification mandates that platforms have an account with the regulator and provide the FSB with access to user accounts. Platforms that fail to do so are breaking the law and can get blocked.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially tens of millions of Russians had been using FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "are likely to be blocked – that's obvious."

Gaming Platforms Too Targeted

As another development, the authorities reported it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from harmful content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular game platform in Russia last month, with nearly eight million active users.

Although it remains possible to get around a few of these blocks by employing VPN services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by authorities as well.