🔗 Share this article

Amid a ongoing crackdown to increase oversight over internet access, Russian regulators have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Restrictions

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that the two apps were utilized to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities within the country, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud along with other offenses targeting Russian citizens.

Officials stated it enforced the restriction on Snapchat on October 10, although the announcement was only made public later.

Broader Campaign of Internet Control

These latest moves come after comparable limitations imposed on major platforms including YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of bans intensified in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have pursued deliberate and comprehensive strategies to curtail the internet. This has included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Blocking digital platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Perfecting technology to track and influence digital communications.

Other Examples of Blocks

Access to the YouTube platform was slowed previously in a case of intentional slowing by regulators. The Kremlin attributed the issue to Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

Recently, authorities limited online access with extensive outages of mobile internet connections. The government claimed this was required to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts argued a further measure to tighten control over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Platforms

Regulators has also moved against widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were blocked in 2024. This year, officials prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, explaining the ban by saying the services were being facilitating criminal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "domestic" communication platform called Max. Experts regard it as a potential surveillance tool. The app admits it will provide user information with officials when asked, and analysts note it does not use strong encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework views any service where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This classification mandates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and provide the FSB with the ability to monitor user accounts. Platforms that fail to comply are breaking the law and may be banned.

Seleznev estimated that perhaps tens of millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that's obvious."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

As another development, the authorities reported it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from inappropriate material. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest game platform in Russia recently, with approximately eight million active users.

Although it remains feasible to bypass certain of these limitations by utilizing VPN services, those are frequently targeted by the regulator as well.