🔗 Share this article

Amid a ongoing effort to increase oversight over online communications, Russian officials have cut off access to Snapchat and imposed restrictions on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Restrictions

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged that the two apps were being used to plan and execute acts of terrorism on Russian soil, to enlist people and commit fraud along with other offenses targeting Russian citizens.

The regulator said it took action against Snapchat in early October, though the announcement was publicly disclosed later.

Broader Campaign of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions come after similar limitations imposed on popular services including YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of bans escalated after the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have engaged in calculated and wide-ranging efforts to rein in the open internet. This has included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Banning online services that refuse to cooperate with local rules.
• Perfecting systems to observe and control internet traffic.

Recent Examples of Blocks

Service for YouTube was throttled previously in what experts called intentional slowing by officials. Russian officials pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its servers in Russia.

This summer, authorities limited online access with broad shutdowns of cellular data connections. The government claimed this was required to counter drone strikes, but experts contended a further measure to tighten control over the internet.

Targeting Communication Platforms

The government has also acted against widely-used messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. This year, officials prohibited calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the action by saying the two apps were being used for criminal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "domestic" communication platform called Max. Observers see it as a possible monitoring instrument. The platform openly declares it will share user data with the government upon request, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Analysis

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework defines any platform where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation mandates that such services establish a presence with the regulator and grant state security with the ability to monitor communications. Platforms that fail to meet these demands are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev noted that possibly many millions of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He called the restrictions against the service as "predictable" and warned that further services that do not cooperate with Roskomnadzor "are likely to be blocked – it is inevitable."

Entertainment Sites Also Affected

In a related move, the authorities also said it was restricting Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from harmful content. Per data from research group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest game platform in Russia recently, with approximately eight million monthly users.

Although it remains feasible to circumvent some of these limitations by utilizing VPN services, those are frequently targeted by officials as well.