🔗 Share this article

Amid a continued effort to increase oversight over digital platforms, state regulators have blocked access to the social media app Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Stated Justifications for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that these services were utilized to plan and execute terrorist acts on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud and other crimes against citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it initiated the block on Snapchat back on the 10th of October, although the announcement was only made public more recently.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

These new restrictions follow similar restrictions targeting popular services including Google's YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of censorship intensified following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have undertaken systematic and wide-ranging initiatives to control the digital space. Actions have involved:

• Passing tough new laws.
• Outlawing digital platforms that do not comply with local rules.
• Developing systems to track and influence internet traffic.

Recent Examples of Restrictions

Service for the YouTube platform was throttled in the past in an incident described as deliberate throttling by officials. Authorities attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its servers in Russia.

In recent months, authorities limited internet access with extensive outages of cellular data connections. The government insisted this was needed to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but experts saw it as another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Apps

The government has also acted against widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and another popular app, Viber, were restricted in this year. Furthermore, authorities prohibited calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the measure by stating the services were being facilitating illegal activities.

Concurrently, the state have championed a so-called "national" messenger app called "Max". Observers view it as a possible surveillance tool. The service admits it will provide user information with the government if demanded, and analysts note it is not equipped with full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

As explained by lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework views any service where people can communicate as an "information dissemination organizer".

This classification obligates that such services have an account with Roskomnadzor and allow Russia's security service with access to user data. Services failing to meet these demands are in violation and can get blocked.

Seleznev pointed out that potentially many millions of Russians had been turning to FaceTime, especially after restrictions were placed on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "predictable" and warned that other platforms failing to cooperate with authorities "are likely to be blocked – that's obvious."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

In a separate development, the government also said it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, claiming it aimed at safeguarding minors from inappropriate material. According to research group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular gaming site in Russia in October, with nearly eight million players.

Although it is still possible to circumvent some of these limitations by using VPN services, VPNs themselves are also often blocked by officials as well.