Asger Risom
Roskomnadzor, the country’s communications regulator, said Snapchat was being used to organize or support terrorist activity
Russia has moved to further tighten control over digital communication tools, blocking Snapchat and limiting Apple’s FaceTime just hours apart. Officials framed both actions as part of a broader effort to combat terrorism and criminal activity, the Moscow Times reports.
Russia cites terrorism as it blocks Snapchat and limits FaceTime
Roskomnadzor, the country’s communications regulator, said Snapchat was being used to organize or support terrorist activity, as well as fraud and other crimes. The app had about 7.6 million Russian users in 2022.
Authorities issued a similar justification for curbing FaceTime’s voice and video calling features. Apple’s service had remained one of the last major Western video tools still broadly accessible in Russia after earlier restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram.
Rising pressure on WhatsApp
The new restrictions follow increasing threats against WhatsApp, which nearly 100 million Russians use. Roskomnadzor warned last week that a full block was possible, accusing the Meta-owned service of violating data localization laws and enabling activity linked to extremism and terrorism.
Russian users began reporting widespread FaceTime outages back in September. Thursday’s announcement marks the first official confirmation that authorities have restricted both Snapchat and FaceTime.
Sources: The Moscow Times
