🔗 Share this article

As part of a ongoing campaign to tighten control over internet access, state authorities have blocked access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Ban

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that these services were employed to plan and execute terrorist acts within the country, to enlist people and carry out fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it initiated the block targeting Snapchat back on the 10th of October, though the decision was only made public more recently.

Wider Context of Digital Crackdown

These new restrictions follow similar blocks targeting major platforms like YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of censorship escalated in the wake of the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have undertaken deliberate and comprehensive efforts to curtail the digital space. This has included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Developing technical capabilities to observe and control digital communications.

Other Examples of Blocks

Access to the YouTube platform was throttled previously in what experts called deliberate throttling by the authorities. The Kremlin attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

This summer, authorities tightened connectivity with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials claimed this was necessary to thwart drone strikes, but analysts argued an additional move to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Platforms

Authorities has also targeted widely-used messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in 2024. This year, authorities prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the measure by saying the two apps were being facilitating crime.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Critics regard it as a possible monitoring instrument. The app admits it will provide user information with authorities upon request, and experts note it is not equipped with strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Analyst Commentary

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

This label obligates that platforms have an account with the regulator and grant state security with access to user accounts. Those failing to meet these demands are non-compliant and face blocking.

Seleznev estimated that perhaps tens of millions of users in Russia had been using FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on other messaging apps. He described the blocking of the service as "expected" and stated that other platforms refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Entertainment Sites Also Affected

In a related move, the government announced it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was child protection from inappropriate material. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two game platform in Russia in October, with close to 8 million players.

While it remains feasible to get around a few of these blocks by using VPN services, those are frequently targeted by officials as well.