🔗 Share this article

Amid a sustained effort to increase oversight over digital platforms, Russian officials have restricted access to Snapchat and placed curbs on Apple's video calling service, FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Restrictions

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were being used to plan and execute terrorist acts inside Russia, to recruit perpetrators and carry out fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

Roskomnadzor said it enforced the restriction against Snapchat in early October, even though the decision was only reported more recently.

Wider Campaign of Online Restrictions

These new restrictions are part of similar restrictions targeting popular services such as YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. This wave of bans intensified following the onset of the conflict of Ukraine by Russia.

Since Vladimir Putin, the government have undertaken calculated and wide-ranging strategies to curtail the open internet. Measures have included:

• Enacting restrictive laws.
• Outlawing online services that refuse to cooperate with state demands.
• Perfecting systems to track and influence internet traffic.

Recent Examples of Restrictions

Service for YouTube was disrupted last year in a case of intentional slowing by officials. Authorities blamed Google for not properly maintaining its servers in Russia.

This summer, officials further restricted online access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was necessary to thwart drone strikes, but analysts contended another step to assert dominance over the digital landscape.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Authorities has also targeted widely-used messaging platforms. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in 2024. Additionally, officials prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the measure by claiming the platforms were being involved in crime.

Concurrently, authorities have championed a so-called "national" communication platform called "Max". Experts see it as a possible surveillance tool. The service explicitly states it will hand over data with officials when asked, and analysts note it lacks strong encryption.

Regulatory Basis and Expert Analysis

As explained by cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law defines any platform where people can communicate as an "organizer of dissemination of information".

This designation obligates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and provide Russia's security service with entry to user data. Platforms that fail to do so are breaking the law and can get blocked.

Seleznev estimated that perhaps tens of millions of Russians had been relying on FaceTime, especially after calls were banned on other messaging apps. He described the restrictions against the Apple service as "predictable" and cautioned that other sites failing to cooperate with authorities "will be blocked – it is inevitable."

Gaming Sites Too Affected

As another move, the government reported it was blocking Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from inappropriate material. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second-largest game platform in Russia in October, with nearly eight million monthly users.

While it remains feasible to circumvent some of these blocks by utilizing virtual private network services, those are routinely blocked by officials as well.