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Amid a ongoing campaign to increase oversight over online communications, Russian regulators have cut off access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to organize and conduct terrorist acts on Russian soil, for recruiting individuals and commit fraud along with other offenses aimed at the populace.

Roskomnadzor said it took action on Snapchat in early October, although the move was only reported later.

Wider Campaign of Internet Control

This recent action follow comparable restrictions targeting popular services including Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of restrictions intensified after the 2022 military action of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued calculated and comprehensive efforts to curtail the open internet. This has included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Outlawing online services that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Perfecting technology to observe and control digital communications.

Other Instances of Blocks

Service for the YouTube platform was disrupted in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by officials. Russian officials blamed Google for failing to maintain its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, authorities tightened online access with widespread outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials claimed this was necessary to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts argued another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Platforms

The government has also acted against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in 2024. Furthermore, officials banned calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the action by claiming the two apps were being used for illegal activities.

Simultaneously, the state have championed a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Observers view it as a potential tool for oversight. The app openly declares it will share user data with officials when asked, and analysts note it does not use strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Commentary

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any service where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This label requires that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and grant the FSB with the ability to monitor communications. Services failing to meet these demands are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev estimated that potentially tens of millions of users in Russia had been relying on FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and warned that other platforms failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Entertainment Sites Too Affected

In a related development, the government announced it was restricting the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was child protection from inappropriate material. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest gaming site in Russia recently, with close to 8 million players.

While it is still possible to get around a few of these limitations by using VPN services, those are routinely blocked by authorities as well.