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Amid a ongoing campaign to tighten control over internet access, Russian officials have restricted access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on the Apple video calling service, FaceTime.

Official Reasons for the Block

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that both applications were employed to plan and execute acts of terrorism within the country, to enlist people and commit fraud along with other offenses targeting Russian citizens.

Officials said it took action targeting Snapchat on October 10, although the announcement was only reported on Thursday.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

This recent action follow previous limitations against major platforms including Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. This wave of restrictions intensified in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Since Vladimir Putin, authorities have undertaken calculated and multi-pronged initiatives to curtail the open internet. Actions have involved:

• Adopting stringent legislation.
• Blocking online services that fail to comply with state demands.
• Perfecting systems to monitor and manipulate internet traffic.

Recent Instances of Blocks

Service for YouTube was disrupted in the past in an incident described as intentional slowing by regulators. Russian officials pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its infrastructure in Russia.

In recent months, authorities limited online access with widespread disruptions of mobile internet connections. Officials claimed this was necessary to thwart Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts argued a further measure to tighten control over the internet.

Action Against Communication Apps

Regulators has also targeted popular messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in recently. This year, authorities outlawed voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, explaining the ban by stating the platforms were being facilitating criminal activities.

Concurrently, authorities have actively promoted a so-called "domestic" communication platform called "Max". Critics regard it as a potential monitoring instrument. The platform admits it will hand over data with officials if demanded, and analysts note it does not use full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Analysis

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law views any platform where users can message as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation requires that platforms establish a presence with the regulator and allow state security with the ability to monitor communications. Services failing to comply are breaking the law and face blocking.

Seleznev noted that possibly many millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, particularly after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the service as "predictable" and cautioned that further services refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – that's obvious."

Gaming Platforms Too Affected

As another action, the authorities also said it was banning the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was safeguarding minors from illicit content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second-largest gaming site in Russia recently, with approximately eight million players.

While it remains possible to bypass certain of these limitations by employing VPN services, VPNs themselves are routinely blocked by authorities as well.