ConsenSys Suddenly Bars Iranian Students From Ethereum Coding Class
ConsenSys, the Ethereum software powerhouse, removed about 50 Iranian students from its online programming course in a move that highlights the gray areas in sanctions law facing the cryptocurrency industry. The students were notified on Nov. 13 in an email from ConsenSys Academy, an educational branch of the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company. While they already finished most of their coursework, the suspension means students wont receive certificates of completion. “We are saddened to have to tell you that, effective immediately, we are suspending your enrollment in ConsenSys Academy and your access to the platform,” read the email, which two students separately shared with CoinDesk. It was sent at 1:30 a.m. local time in Iran. “A recent review of our records shows that you indicated that you are located in a country that we are prohibited from providing goods or services to under U.S. law.” The move represents an abrupt turnabout for ConsenSys, which had offered the $985 course to Iranian students for free and in the past talked openly about its scholarships for Iranian women. It‘s unclear what triggered the company’s drastic change of course. Elo Gimenez, ConsenSys global public relations lead, would say only: “ConsenSys is committed to building the digital economy of tomorrow