Russia Blocks Snapchat and Cracks Down on Apple's FaceTime, State Media Say

As part of a continued campaign to increase oversight over digital platforms, state regulators have restricted access to Snapchat and imposed restrictions on Apple's FaceTime service, FaceTime.

Stated Reasons for the Ban

The regulatory body Roskomnadzor alleged that the two apps were employed to facilitate and carry out acts of terrorism inside Russia, to enlist people and engage in fraudulent activities as well as various crimes targeting Russian citizens.

Roskomnadzor stated it enforced the restriction against Snapchat in early October, even though the decision was only made public more recently.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

These latest moves come after previous limitations imposed on key apps including YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram service. This wave of bans intensified in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

During the tenure of Vladimir Putin, the government have engaged in deliberate and comprehensive initiatives to rein in the open internet. Measures have included:

• Passing stringent legislation.
• Outlawing websites and platforms that do not comply with Russian regulations.
• Advancing systems to monitor and manipulate internet traffic.

Recent Instances of Blocks

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

Recently, authorities limited internet access with extensive shutdowns of cellular data connections. Officials claimed this was necessary to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but analysts contended another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Apps

The government has also acted against widely-used communication apps. Encrypted messenger Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were restricted in 2024. This year, authorities prohibited voice calls on the WhatsApp app and Telegram, defending the ban by saying the two apps were being involved in crime.

Concurrently, authorities have heavily pushed a so-called "national" messenger app called Max. Critics view it as a potential monitoring instrument. The app explicitly states it will provide user information with authorities upon request, and experts note it does not use full encryption.

Legal Framework and Analyst Commentary

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

This classification mandates that such services establish a presence with Roskomnadzor and provide state security with access to user accounts. Platforms that fail to comply are non-compliant and may be banned.

Seleznev noted that possibly a large number of Russians had been turning to FaceTime, particularly after voice calls were prohibited on WhatsApp and Telegram. He described the restrictions against the service as "expected" and warned that further services that do not cooperate with authorities "are likely to be blocked – it is inevitable."

Entertainment Platforms Also Affected

In a related action, the government also said it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, stating the reason was protecting children from inappropriate material. Per data from media monitoring group Mediascope, the platform was the second most popular game platform in Russia last month, with approximately eight million players.

While it is still possible to bypass certain of these blocks by using VPN services, such tools are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.