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Amid a continued crackdown to increase oversight over internet access, Russian officials have restricted access to Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that these services were utilized to organize and conduct acts of terrorism inside Russia, to enlist people and commit fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

The regulator stated it enforced the restriction targeting Snapchat in early October, although the announcement was publicly disclosed later.

Wider Context of Internet Control

These new restrictions are part of similar blocks imposed on major platforms like YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. These measures of censorship began in earnest following the onset of the conflict of Ukraine.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have undertaken deliberate and wide-ranging initiatives to curtail the digital space. This has included:

• Enacting stringent legislation.
• Banning digital platforms that refuse to cooperate with Russian regulations.
• Perfecting technology to monitor and manipulate internet traffic.

Recent Instances of Crackdowns

Access to the YouTube platform was disrupted previously in a case of targeted interference by the authorities. The Kremlin blamed YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia.

This summer, officials tightened internet access with extensive shutdowns of mobile internet connections. Officials stated this was needed to thwart drone strikes, but critics contended another step to increase control over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Regulators has also moved against widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in this year. Furthermore, officials banned calls via WhatsApp and Telegram, defending the measure by saying the services were being used for criminal activities.

Concurrently, the state have actively promoted a dubbed "national" communication platform called "Max". Critics view it as a possible tool for oversight. The app openly declares it will provide user information with authorities when asked, and experts note it lacks end-to-end encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Commentary

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, regulations classifies any service where people can communicate as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation obligates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and grant state security with the ability to monitor user data. Services failing to do so are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially many millions of Russians had been using FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that is clear."

Entertainment Platforms Too Affected

In a separate action, the government reported it was restricting Roblox, claiming it aimed at child protection from inappropriate material. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two game platform in Russia recently, with approximately 8 million active users.

While it is still feasible to bypass certain of these blocks by using virtual private network services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by authorities as well.