Geo-Blocking FAQs

OneTrust is committed to complying with all applicable United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and other international laws and regulations, including but not limited to, the sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and similar applicable laws and regulations in other jurisdictions where OneTrust conducts business.

The IP address is a unique string of characters that identifies a specific computer or device as it communicates with other computers or devices over a network, and its geolocation is the technique employed to approximate the location of a device anywhere in the world.

Geo-blocking is technology that restricts access to Internet content based on the user's geographical location. In a geo-blocking scheme, the user's location is determined using Internet geolocation techniques, such as checking the user's IP address, to estimate the physical location of the user. The result of this check is used to determine whether the system will approve or deny access to the website or to particular content.

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) highlights that geolocation restrictions are part of a strong sanctions compliance program, and that the lack of such measures may result in prohibited activity involving sanctioned persons or jurisdictions. OFAC has stated that financial services providers, online software sellers, as well as other industry categories using the internet to distribute products and services, should deploy available tools to minimize compliance breaches. This includes IP address geolocation screening.

OneTrust has a responsibility to ensure that the company does not violate applicable sanctions laws and regulations and that OneTrust’s products and services are not, knowingly or inadvertently, used or accessed in violation of relevant or applicable sanctions laws and regulations. Along with IP address screening, geo-blocks have been placed on all IP addresses found to be originating from the following countries in accordance with sanctions regulations: Cuba, Iran, Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea), and Syria.