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   Roblox, FaceTime become the last targets of Russia's censorship   
      
   Date:   
   Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:45:32 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Russia has blocked FaceTime and Roblox, tightening its censorship push as   
   users lose access to most major Western platforms.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Russia keeps expanding its crackdown on digital freedom, this time blocking   
   two more major Western platforms: FaceTime and Roblox. The move is already a   
   major disruption in how millions of Russians communicate and play online,    
   with users reporting sudden outages and connection failures on both services.    
      
   Yet, it's far from isolated. Since 2022, a steady stream of restrictions has   
   targeted Western apps, networks, and services, with Russia's communications   
   regulator, Roskomnadzor, threatening a full block on WhatsApp only a few days   
   ago.    
      
   While authorities motivate the blocks as a way to halt terrorism and protect   
   children's online safety, restrictions are reshaping digital life across   
   Russia, isolating millions of Russians from global tech platforms. And while   
   all this pushes citizens towards the best VPN apps, VPN usage is also   
   increasingly under threat.   
      
   Social apps under fire: Roblox and FaceTime join the banned list   
      
   According to reports, Roskomnadzor has officially added two big Western-owned   
   platforms, Roblox and FaceTime , to its list of forbidden services.    
      
   As reported by Reuters , on December 3, Roskomnadzor said Roblox was being   
   blocked because the platform allegedly exposes children to sexual harassers,   
   and spreads extremist materials and LGBT propaganda, claiming it contains   
   content that could harm children's spiritual and moral development.    
      
   For a service with over 151 million daily active users across the world, many   
   of whom are children and teens, the ban is a major blow to Russia's younger   
   online community.    
      
   Meanwhile, authorities also allege that FaceTime is being used to organize   
   terrorism, recruit criminals, and carry out fraud.    
      
   There have been users who reported failed FaceTime calls starting back in   
   September  when restrictions on Telegram and WhatsApp have also been reported    
    suggesting that FaceTime blocking may have been quietly phased in before the   
   platform's official ban.   
      
   For many Russians, especially younger people and families, the recent bans on   
   Roblox and FaceTime drastically shrink their options for digital socializing   
   and communication.    
      
   Since foreign platforms are increasingly blocked or throttled by    
   Roskomnadzor, many Russians are being pushed toward state-backed alternatives   
   like MAX. The messaging app was ordered to be pre-installed on all phones    
   sold in the country, and is being actively pushed as a safe domestic   
   replacement.    
      
   However, critics warn that MAX lacks the privacy and freedom offered by its   
   encrypted Western counterparts. This has raised growing concerns about state   
   surveillance and the loss of secure communication tools.   
      
   VPN access remains possible, but state pressure is mounting   
      
   For now, VPN services remain one of the few ways for Russians to regain    
   access to blocked platforms like FaceTime and Roblox. This offers a potential   
   lifeline for communication and entertainment under growing state censorship.   
   However, that lifeline, too, is becoming increasingly fragile.    
      
   Rokomnadzor has ramped up its efforts this year to identify and block VPN   
   traffic . Its TSPU filtering system now detects many VPN protocols, meaning   
   many services that previously worked are routinely throttled or even   
   completely unusable.   
      
   Additionally, new laws have made sharing information about how to bypass   
   censorship blocks (including via VPNs) punishable. Despite these efforts by   
   the Russian authorities, some VPNs continue to adapt. Typically, they rely on   
   stealth or obfuscation techniques that make their traffic harder to detect.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/roblox-facetime-become-the-   
   last-targets-of-russias-censorship   
      
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