Apple’s FaceTime Reportedly Blocked in Russia Alongside Snapchat’s Video Calling Feature

Apple's FaceTime and Snapchat have come under regulatory scrutiny of the Russian government, and the country's communications regulator, has reportedly restricted voice and video call services on these platforms. This isn't the first time that the Roskomnadzor has taken action against foreign-owned tech firms. In August, a report suggested that the regulator had partially restricted voice calling features on WhatsApp and Telegram. The country's lawmakers have also asked citizens to stop using platforms that are not based in Russia. The regulator said that these platforms are being misused by criminals, according to a report.

Russia Cracks Down on 'Foreign-Owned' Tech Firms

The Moscow Times reports that Roskomnadzor has blocked the voice and video calling services of Apple's FaceTime. Within hours of the reported restriction, the watchdog is said to have announced that it had recently blocked access to Snapchat's video calling feature in the country.

Russia's TASS news agency reported in 2022 that Roskomnadzor believes Snapchat to being misused for organising and carrying out terrorist activities in the country. Snapchat reportedly had 7.6 million users in Russia in 2022. The watchdog is said to have issued a similar explanation for restricting the voice and video call services of Apple's FaceTime. However, there is no word from Russia's communications regulator on whether this is a temporary or a permanent ban.

This comes as part of Russia's crackdown on instant messaging and other communications services of platforms, which are owned by foreign tech firms. Back in August, it was reported that Russia's Roskomnadzor had enforced a partial restriction on the voice calling features of Telegram and Meta-owned WhatsApp.

The regulator reportedly made the move to curb crimes in the country. While other functionalities of the two platforms remain unhindered, the voice calls are said to still be restricted. At the time, Roskomnadzor said that it had repeatedly requested WhatsApp and Telegram to take action against bad actors. However, these requests were reportedly ignored by the two companies.

The report added that Russian residents were using VPN services to bypass the “partial restriction” on voice calling services. Russian lawmakers have also issued statements against tech companies based overseas, requesting citizens to use platforms developed in the country instead.