🔗 Share this article Russia Restricts Snapchat and Restricts Apple's FaceTime, Officials Say In a sustained effort to tighten control over online communications, state officials have blocked access to Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime. Stated Reasons for the Block Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor stated that the two apps were utilized to plan and execute acts of terrorism on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and commit fraud and other crimes aimed at the populace. Officials stated it took action targeting Snapchat on October 10, even though the move was only made public on Thursday. Wider Campaign of Digital Crackdown These new restrictions follow similar blocks against key apps such as YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. The campaign of bans intensified following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia. During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have pursued systematic and comprehensive strategies to rein in the open internet. Measures have included: Adopting stringent legislation. Outlawing online services that refuse to cooperate with state demands. Developing technology to monitor and manipulate digital communications. Other Examples of Restrictions Service for the YouTube platform was slowed in the past in a case of targeted interference by the authorities. Russian officials pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for not properly maintaining its hardware in Russia. This summer, officials further restricted internet access with widespread outages of cellphone internet connections. Officials insisted this was necessary to thwart drone strikes, but critics contended an additional move to tighten control over the digital landscape. Action Against Messaging Platforms The government has also moved against widely-used messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in this year. Additionally, authorities banned voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, explaining the measure by claiming the two apps were being involved in illegal activities. Simultaneously, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "national" communication platform called "Max". Experts see it as a possible monitoring instrument. The app admits it will hand over data with authorities when asked, and experts note it lacks strong encryption. Regulatory Basis and Expert Commentary According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework views any platform where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer". This classification mandates that such services have an account with the regulator and provide state security with entry to communications. Platforms that fail to comply are breaking the law and may be banned. Seleznev estimated that perhaps many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and cautioned that other platforms failing to cooperate with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – that's obvious." Gaming Sites Also Affected In a related move, the government also said it was restricting Roblox, citing child protection from harmful content. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the number two game platform in Russia recently, with approximately eight million players. While it remains possible to bypass certain of these restrictions by utilizing VPN services, such tools are also often blocked by the regulator as well.