OpenSea’s decentralisation once again undermined? To comply with US sanctions, it seems that the leading non-fungible token marketplace (NFT) has decided to restrict and delete the accounts of users residing in Cuba
OpenSea suspends Cuban users
OpenSea users from Cuba reported this week that their accounts had been suspended or even deleted by the world’s first non-fungible token platform (NFT). This is the case for many artists, who have made their displeasure known on Twitter:
long time since we posted, unfortunate that this post needs to be this.@opensea has disabled our profile.
Not only do Cubans on the island, but those who have other nationalities have to endure censorship in web3 company.
Buying art from Cubans is not banned in the us embargo pic.twitter.com/7cccbmjNWR
– NFTcuba.ART (@nftcubaart) December 12, 2022
Rumours that OpenSea specifically targeted Cuban users’ accounts have been spreading in recent months. At the time of writing, more than 30 artists have reported experiencing the same censorship by the platform
These have recently been confirmed through an in-depth investigation by the media outlet Artnet, to whom a spokesperson for the NFT platform explained that these restrictions are being taken to comply with US sanctions:
We are very sorry for the artists and creators who are impacted, but OpenSea is subject to strict policies related to sanctions laws. We are a US-based company […], which means we are obligated to block people in locations affected by US sanctions. “
This was the justification provided by OpenSea during the previous wave of user account suspensions, which concerned countries such as Venezuela, Iran and Syria. Indeed, although the platform aims to be decentralised, it is a company that must comply with the laws of its country.
For Cuban artists, OpenSea’s decision is not a surprise. It follows 60 years of US sanctions against the country, which have even continued into the digital age. However, it does cut into the momentum of a promising and growing Cuban industry.
