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Amid a continued campaign to increase oversight over online communications, Russian regulators have cut off access to the social media app Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor claimed that both applications were being used to facilitate and carry out terrorist activities on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud and other crimes aimed at the populace.

Officials stated it initiated the block on Snapchat on October 10, although the move was only made public on Thursday.

Broader Campaign of Online Restrictions

These latest moves are part of similar restrictions imposed on popular services such as YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of bans intensified following the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, authorities have pursued deliberate and comprehensive initiatives to rein in the internet. Measures have included:

• Passing tough new laws.
• Blocking websites and platforms that fail to comply with Russian regulations.
• Developing technology to monitor and manipulate digital communications.

Other Examples of Crackdowns

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in an incident described as targeted interference by regulators. The Kremlin pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its infrastructure in Russia.

In recent months, authorities further restricted internet access with extensive disruptions of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was needed to counter drone strikes, but analysts argued another step to tighten control over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Platforms

Authorities has also moved against widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were banned in recently. Furthermore, officials banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the action by claiming the services were being involved in criminal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Observers regard it as a possible surveillance tool. The platform openly declares it will provide user information with the government when asked, and experts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

Per lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any platform where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label mandates that platforms have an account with Roskomnadzor and grant state security with access to communications. Services failing to do so are breaking the law and face blocking.

Seleznev estimated that potentially a large number of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that other sites refusing to comply with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Entertainment Sites Too Targeted

In a separate development, the authorities reported it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from illicit content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular game platform in Russia last month, with approximately 8 million active users.

While it is still possible to bypass certain of these limitations by employing virtual private network services, such tools are also often blocked by officials as well.