Decentralization is a dream of a world without censorship. In this world, people can interact with each other no matter where they are or what their standing is. This would give people control over their digital lives.

However, today, it appears that the Web3 fantasy is being damaged as big firms bow to government pressure. OpenSea, a NFT trading firm based in New York, has imposed restrictions on entire nations in accordance with the US sanctions list over the last few days. Users are reporting their accounts being disabled without prior notice.

MetaMask, the world’s most popular Web3 wallet, also restricts users according to the same blacklist. However, it was discovered that a recent block on citizens of Venezuela was made in error. Despite this , it nevertheless demonstrated the ability to utilize the feature.

As a result, countries like Iran, Syria, North Korea, and now Russia are unable to access the services without the use of a VPN. As a result of this, artists and collectors are being forced to take additional security precautions in order to use these websites.

This has sparked a debate among the decentralized community about how to maintain worldwide digital freedom with these government-imposed sanctions put into place.