Dasha Litvinova, reporting for the AP:
Russian authorities said Thursday they have imposed restrictions
on Apple’s video calling service FaceTime, the latest step in an
effort to tighten control over the internet and communications
online. State internet regulator Roskomnadzor alleged in a
statement that the service is being “used to organize and conduct
terrorist activities on the territory of the country, to recruit
perpetrators (and) commit fraud and other crimes against our
citizens.” Apple did not respond to an emailed request for
comment.The Russian regulator also announced that it has blocked Snapchat,
a messaging app for sharing photos, videos and text messages,
citing the same grounds it gave for restricting FaceTime. It said
that it took the action Oct. 10 even though it only reported the
move on Thursday.
I’m sure the crime rate in Russia will soon plummet. (I’m curious why iMessage isn’t blocked too.)
