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As part of a ongoing effort to tighten control over online communications, state authorities have restricted access to the social media app Snapchat and enacted limitations on Apple's video calling service, Apple FaceTime.

Official Justifications for the Block

The state internet regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the two apps were employed to organize and conduct acts of terrorism on Russian soil, to recruit perpetrators and carry out fraud as well as various crimes against citizens.

Officials stated it initiated the block targeting Snapchat on October 10, although the move was only made public later.

Broader Context of Digital Crackdown

This recent action follow similar restrictions imposed on key apps such as Google's YouTube, Meta's WhatsApp and Instagram, and the Telegram messaging service. These measures of restrictions intensified after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russian officials have undertaken calculated and wide-ranging efforts to control the digital space. This has included:

• Enacting stringent legislation.
• Banning websites and platforms that fail to comply with local rules.
• Advancing systems to track and influence digital communications.

Recent Examples of Crackdowns

Service for YouTube was disrupted in the past in an incident described as intentional slowing by officials. The Kremlin attributed the issue to YouTube's owner, Google for failing to maintain its servers in Russia.

In recent months, authorities further restricted online access with extensive outages of cellphone internet connections. The government stated this was required to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, but critics saw it as another step to assert dominance over the internet.

Targeting Messaging Apps

The government has also targeted widely-used communication apps. The encrypted app Signal and the Viber service, Viber, were banned in recently. Additionally, officials prohibited voice calls on WhatsApp and Telegram, defending the action by saying the platforms were being facilitating criminal activities.

Simultaneously, authorities have actively promoted a dubbed "domestic" communication platform called "Max". Experts regard it as a potential surveillance tool. The platform explicitly states it will provide user information with authorities if demanded, and experts note it lacks end-to-end encryption.

Legal Framework and Expert Analysis

According to cyber security expert Stanislav Seleznev, Russian law classifies any service where users can message as an "information dissemination organizer".

This label obligates that platforms register with Roskomnadzor and grant state security with the ability to monitor user accounts. Services failing to comply are in violation and may be banned.

Seleznev noted that perhaps many millions of users in Russia had been turning to FaceTime, especially after voice calls were prohibited on other messaging apps. He called the blocking of the Apple service as "predictable" and cautioned that other sites refusing to comply with Roskomnadzor "will be blocked – that's obvious."

Entertainment Platforms Too Targeted

As another development, the government also said it was blocking the online game platform Roblox, citing safeguarding minors from illicit content. According to media monitoring group Mediascope, Roblox was the number two gaming site in Russia in October, with approximately 8 million active users.

While it is still possible to bypass certain of these limitations by using virtual private network services, those are routinely blocked by the regulator as well.