MetaMask, OpenSea Blocks Expose "Web3" Centralization

"Web3" centralization is exposed via MetaMask and OpenSea Blocks.

 

 

Iranian and Venezuelan users are purportedly being blocked by MetaMask and OpenSea. According to MetaMask, Infura, MetaMask's service provider, has blocked various regions "due to legal compliance."

 

 

MetaMask, OpenSea Blocks Expose "Web3" Centralization

Important Points to Remember

• Several Venezuelans and Iranians have been denied access to MetaMask's Web3 wallet.

• Some Iranian users have also been restricted by OpenSea.

• The blockages draw attention to Web3's centralization issues.

 

Several MetaMask users in Venezuela and Iran have complained about being unable to use the popular Web3 wallet. Iranian customers have been denied access to the NFT marketplace OpenSea, underlining long-standing worries about how decentralized many components of Web3 are.

 

 

Users using MetaMask and OpenSea are experiencing difficulties.

 

 

Users are being censored by MetaMask and OpenSea, two of the most extensively used Web3 apps.

 

The obstructions were initially reported on social media on Thursday afternoon. Multiple MetaMask users in Venezuela and Iran reported that they were unable to access the Web3 wallet, while MetaMask said that Infura, the service provider the wallet uses to access Ethereum, "is unavailable in certain jurisdictions due to legal compliance," in a short note updated an hour before press time. According to the letter, users in some restricted locations would receive an "error message" while trying to use the wallet.

 

ConsenSys, the Web3 software business founded by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, produces both MetaMask and Infura.

 

While a VPN might conceivably be used to get around the prohibition, MetaMask has informed impacted users that they must export their wallet recovery phrase. Users can't be completely prevented from accessing their Ethereum wallets, so they should still be able to get their money back.

 

Aside from MetaMask, OpenSea, the world's largest NFT marketplace, is purportedly preventing Iranian consumers from using its site. Several NFT artists flocked to Twitter today to say they couldn't get into their accounts, which means they couldn't look at their listings or sell their work.

 

Luna Leonis, a well-known illustrator in the NFT community, told Crypto Briefing in a private message that she initially ran into difficulty early Thursday morning. "I attempted to check one of my listings and discovered that I was unable to access my account at all." When I log in, it says, 'Oops, something went wrong,' and any previous link in any of my tweets, etc. leads to a 404 error. " She can no longer see any of her minted or gathered items on the platform.

 

 

Domiri Ganji, an NFT photographer, told Crypto Briefing that he first learned about the blockages from other Iranian colleagues. He then went on to check his account and saw that he had been barred as well. "I've already sold over 35 NFTs, and they're all gone." Collectors are unable to display them on their OpenSea pages, and I am unsure what I can do about it. "All I can say is that I'm sorry this occurred," he wrote. "How can they ban an account without notifying anyone or sending an email?" "Can they know or be certain that someone resides in a given location without even asking for our identification or evidence of residency?" he added.

 

 

Bornosor, another artist and collector, tweeted that the restriction was based on "blood" rather than an IP address. They revealed how Parin Heidari, an Iranian artist working in Italy, had been taken off the site and her collection delisted. Heidari also stated that she had been unable to enter the marketplace earlier in the day.

 

 

Centralized bitcoin exchanges typically impose restrictions on users based on their location. The distinction is that MetaMask and OpenSea are frequently marketed as Web3 infrastructure, yet the bans demonstrate that they may be single points of failure. The most popular Web3 wallet is MetaMask, and the most popular NFT marketplace is OpenSea, raising questions about how decentralized Web3 actually is. In recent months, long-time Bitcoin supporter Jack Dorsey has expressed open skepticism about Web3, given the considerable financing the space has gotten from Silicon Valley heavyweights like Andreessen Horowitz.

 

Several cryptocurrency proponents have speculated that the recent wave of restrictions may be related to US sanctions against Iran and Venezuela. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the White House has stepped up additional sanctions against the country, which might be a harbinger of things to come for Russian Web3 users.

 Read more: CME Group To Offer Micro Bitcoin and Ethereum Options

Bornosor is concerned that the blockages will intensify, citing the MetaMask instances earlier today as an example. They said that the OpenSea issue was "only the beginning."

 

Crypto Briefing: MetaMask representatives did not immediately react to a request for comment from Crypto Briefing.