Reuters reports that Russia has blocked usage of Apple’s FaceTime app at the network level, leaving users in the country who try to connect via Apple’s encrypted video platform with a “User unavailable” message.
According to the report, Russian communications agency Roskomnadzor justified blocking it by saying, “According to law enforcement agencies, FaceTime is being used to organise and carry out terrorist attacks in the country, recruit perpetrators, and commit fraud and other crimes against Russian citizens.” The report notes that no evidence has been presented to support the allegations.
Russia has been cracking down on foreign platforms that do not willingly track their users on behalf of the Russian government, of late. Communications on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram have been restricted, and Roskomnadzor has also threatened to block WhatsApp entirely. The game Roblox was blocked on Wednesday for distributing “LGBT propaganda.”
Coincidentally, the Russian government launched a competing messaging app earlier this year named Max, and plans to develop it into a “superapp” similar to WeChat in China. Max is required to be preinstalled on smartphones sold in Russia, including iPhones.