Russia’s state communications regulator announced on Thursday that it has blocked Apple’s FaceTime video-calling service, citing its alleged use for criminal activities, in the latest escalation of Moscow’s crackdown on foreign technology platforms.

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Russia blocks Apple’s FaceTime MacDailyNews Dec 4   READ IN APP   Russia’s state communications regulator announced on Thursday that it has blocked Apple’s FaceTime video-calling service, citing its alleged use for criminal activities, in the latest escalation of Moscow’s crackdown on foreign technology platforms. Yes, Apple’s FaceTime is end-to-end encrypted for both video and audio calls. Only the sender and receiver(s) hold the decryption keys; not even Apple can decrypt or access the content of the calls. The ban comes after similar restrictions already imposed on Google’s YouTube, Meta’s WhatsApp, and the Telegram messaging app. Mark Trevelyan and Gleb Stolyarov for Reuters: ‎ Critics say the curbs amount to censorship and a tightening of state control over private communications. Russia says they are legitimate law enforcement measures. Russian authorities have this year launched a state-backed rival app called MAX, which critics say could be used for surveillance – allegations that state media have dismissed as false. Justifying its decision, the communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said in an emailed statement: “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 watchdog did not cite evidence in support of the allegations. ‎ MacDailyNews Take: As Justice Potter Stewart famously said, “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself.” Few societies have more reason to doubt themselves than Russia’s. ‎ Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you! Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon. The post Russia blocks Apple’s FaceTime appeared first on MacDailyNews. You're currently a free subscriber to MacDailyNews. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. Upgrade to paid   Like Comment Restack   © 2025 MacDailyNews 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe