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As part of a ongoing crackdown to tighten control over internet access, state regulators have cut off access to Snapchat and placed curbs on the Apple FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Ban

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were utilized to facilitate and carry out acts of terrorism within the country, for recruiting individuals and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Officials said it initiated the block against Snapchat in early October, though the announcement was only reported on Thursday.

Broader Campaign of Internet Control

These new restrictions follow similar restrictions against major platforms such as Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of censorship began in earnest in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken systematic and wide-ranging initiatives to control the open internet. This has included:

• Adopting restrictive laws.
• Blocking digital platforms that fail to comply with Russian regulations.
• Developing technology to observe and control digital communications.

Recent Examples of Blocks

Access to YouTube was disrupted last year in what experts called intentional slowing by officials. Authorities pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its hardware in Russia.

In recent months, authorities limited online access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. The government claimed this was required to counter drone strikes, but experts contended a further measure to increase control over the internet.

Action Against Communication Platforms

Regulators has also moved against popular communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in recently. Additionally, officials prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, explaining the action by saying the two apps were being facilitating criminal activities.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "national" messenger app called Max. Experts see it as a potential monitoring instrument. The platform openly declares it will hand over data with officials if demanded, and analysts note it does not use end-to-end encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Analysis

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

This designation obligates that such services establish a presence with the regulator and grant Russia's security service with the ability to monitor user accounts. Services failing to meet these demands are in violation and may be banned.

Seleznev noted that perhaps many millions of Russians had been turning to FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and cautioned that other platforms that do not cooperate with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that is clear."

Entertainment Platforms Also Affected

As another move, the authorities reported it was restricting Roblox, claiming it aimed at protecting children from illicit content. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest gaming site in Russia recently, with nearly eight million players.

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