Russia’s internet and media regulator said this week that it has blocked Snapchat and Roblox, saying both platforms were used for “extremist and terrorist” activity.
Roskomnadzor announced its decision to block Snapchat on Thursday, but said it had already made the social media app unavailable in Russia since October 10.
“According to law enforcement agencies, Snapchat is being used to organize and conduct terrorist activities in the country, recruit perpetrators, and commit fraud and other crimes against our citizens,” it said in a statement, per state media.
The federal agency made a similar announcement on Wednesday regarding Roblox, accusing the gaming platform of enabling the distribution of propaganda advocating for extremist or terrorist activities.
It also said that users were using Roblox to spread “LGBT information,” which Russia legally considers extremist.
Meanwhile, Roskomnadzor said on Thursday that it is also imposing “restrictive measures” on Apple’s FaceTime video calling service.
State media outlet TASS wrote that the agency said that “FaceTime is being used to coordinate terrorist activities in the country, recruit terrorists, and commit fraud and other crimes against citizens.”
A Roblox spokesperson told Business Insider that the company has a “deep commitment to safety” and enacts proactive measures to catch and prevent harmful content on the platform.
“We respect the local regulations in the countries where we operate and believe Roblox provides a positive space for learning, creation, and meaningful connection for everyone,” they said.
The gaming firm’s CEO, Dave Baszucki, said in September 2022 that Russia contributed roughly 2 million active daily Roblox users at the time, compared to 11 million in the US.
Apple and Snap Inc. did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
Since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has stepped up internet regulation by placing varying degrees of restrictive measures on international social media and messaging platforms, including bans on Signal and Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram.
Telegram, a messaging app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, has been partially restricted in Russia, with voice and video calls limited in the country. The Kremlin is also suspected of throttling YouTube traffic in the country.
The Kremlin has cited extremism and terrorism concerns for internet restrictions since before 2022, but now also uses these terms to describe Ukrainian or anti-Kremlin partisan attacks on its territory.
It’s unclear, however, whether the latest restrictions are related to such attacks at all. Ukraine’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
Additionally, Russia has been dealing with domestic attacks and threats that don’t have strong links to Ukraine.
In March 2024, at least 149 people were killed, and another 609 were injured during a coordinated attack at a concert venue in Moscow. An Afghanistan-based branch of ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
Read the full article here
