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Amid a ongoing effort to increase oversight over online communications, Russian officials have blocked access to Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Restrictions

Russia's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor claimed that these services were employed to plan and execute acts of terrorism inside Russia, for recruiting individuals and carry out fraud along with other offenses against citizens.

The regulator stated it initiated the block on Snapchat on October 10, although the announcement was only reported later.

Wider Context of Online Restrictions

These latest moves are part of similar restrictions targeting popular services such as YouTube, WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. The campaign of bans escalated following the 2022 military action of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have engaged in calculated and wide-ranging initiatives to control the internet. This has included:

• Passing restrictive laws.
• Blocking digital platforms that fail to comply with Russian regulations.
• Developing technology to monitor and manipulate online traffic.

Recent Examples of Restrictions

Access to YouTube was throttled in the past in a case of deliberate throttling by regulators. The Kremlin pointed the finger at YouTube's owner, Google for allegedly neglecting its servers in Russia.

This summer, officials limited connectivity with extensive outages of mobile internet connections. Officials claimed this was required to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts contended an additional move to increase control over the internet.

Action Against Messaging Apps

Regulators has also moved against popular messaging platforms. Encrypted messenger Signal and another popular app, Viber, were blocked in this year. Furthermore, officials outlawed calls via the WhatsApp app and Telegram, justifying the ban by claiming the two apps were being used for criminal activities.

Simultaneously, the state have heavily pushed a dubbed "domestic" messenger app called Max. Observers view it as a potential surveillance tool. The service admits it will share user data with officials if demanded, and experts note it does not use full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

According to lawyer and expert Stanislav Seleznev, the legal framework defines any service where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This designation mandates that such services establish a presence with the regulator and grant state security with the ability to monitor user data. Services failing to comply are breaking the law and may be banned.

Seleznev pointed out that possibly tens of millions of Russians had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after calls were banned on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the blocking of the Apple service as "expected" and stated that further services refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "face blocking – it is inevitable."

Gaming Platforms Too Affected

In a separate move, the government reported it was blocking Roblox, claiming it aimed at child protection from inappropriate material. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the second most popular gaming site in Russia last month, with approximately eight million monthly users.

While it remains feasible to get around a few of these limitations by employing virtual private network services, such tools are frequently targeted by authorities as well.