MetaMask and OpenSea Restrict Access for Users from Certain Countries, Including Iran and Venezuela
Reports are spreading across social media that users from Venezuela have been cut off from MetaMask and Infura, while Iranian users are being blocked on OpenSea. According to Vice Motherboard, two key components of the Ethereum ecosystem, MetaMask and Infura, have announced that they are ceasing to serve users in certain jurisdictions due to legal compliance requirements.
MetaMask is a popular cryptocurrency wallet for Ethereum users, including NFT traders. It is owned by the same parent company as Infura, which is a centralized API that delivers data from the Ethereum blockchain to MetaMask.
Journalists note that a brief message posted on the MetaMask blog seems to suggest that the block is due to some Infura users, but the company has not provided any specific details.
“By default, MetaMask accesses the blockchain via Infura, which is unavailable in certain jurisdictions due to legal regulations,” the developers wrote.
As a result of this ban, on March 3, 2022, social media was flooded with reports that users from Venezuela could no longer use MetaMask.
Similar Issues for Iranian Users on OpenSea
Some users of the NFT marketplace OpenSea in Iran have experienced similar problems.
“I woke up and found that my account on @opensea was deactivated/deleted without any notification or explanation. I see many similar messages from other Iranian artists and collectors. What the heck is going on? Is OS now purging users based on their country?” wrote one affected user.
Another NFT artist, Parin Heidari, also reported that his collection on OpenSea now only leads to a 404 error page, even though he is Iranian but has not lived in his home country for many years and is currently residing in Italy.
“What you are doing to us artists is even worse than what [the Iranian government] did to us,” Heidari wrote. “Because you claim to be a decentralized platform. If you don’t care about Iranian artists, fine. But at least look out for our NON-IRANIAN collectors.”
OpenSea Responds to Sanctions
OpenSea representatives confirmed to journalists that the marketplace is forced to ban users due to U.S. sanctions.
“OpenSea blocks users and territories listed on the U.S. sanctions list. They cannot use our services, including buying, selling, or transferring NFTs through OpenSea. Our Terms of Service explicitly prohibit users under sanctions, or users from territories subject to sanctions, from using our services,” OpenSea representatives stated. “We do not permit the use of our services by individuals or entities under sanctions, or by people in countries subject to sanctions. If we find that individuals are violating our sanctions policy, we will promptly take action to block the relevant accounts.”
See also: