Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor told local media outlet RBK on Friday that access to the encrypted messaging app Signal had been blocked due to legislative violations.  The regulator stated that the blocking will prevent terrorism and extremism.

Signal is notable for its security strength and encryption capabilities. Aside from its encryption, the application’s operation is akin to any other major social media platform. However, it is popular amongst journalists within Russia.

Other social media platforms have experienced similar blockages in the country. On March 4, 2022, Roskomnadzor blocked Facebook. Instagram was similarly blocked within Russia shortly after over alleged hate speech towards the Russian military.

Aside from blockages, other stringent regulations are imposed upon social networking applications within Russia. For example, Roskomnadzor released a press statement Thursday confirming that it is the responsibility of these networks to conduct independent inspections of their platforms and remove illegal content. The regulator also outlined the millions of Rubles in fines that it had issued within the first half of 2024 to various Western social media platforms. 

Fear remains that YouTube will be the next platform to be blocked within Russia. Outages have already been reported by users, akin to those of the Signal outage reports, or others report reduced speeds. This reduction in speed and speculation of blockage has grown since the beginning of the Ukraine war,  as Russian authorities have begun to accuse social networking platforms of perpetuating terror content and branding it “terrorism.”