Request for Review of Syria IP Blocking and Duo Access Restrictions

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1

Dear Okta Community Team and Okta Legal & Compliance Team,

I am reaching out to request a review of the current restrictions preventing access to Okta Duo services from Syria.

I am currently unable to use Duo for my company’s authentication and access requirements when I am physically located in Syria. The restriction appears to be related to Syria being blocked based on its country/IP location.

The situation regarding Syria has changed significantly. The previous comprehensive U.S. sanctions framework on Syria has been revoked, and Syria is no longer listed on the U.S. Department of State’s current list of State Sponsors of Terrorism:

In light of these significant changes, I would kindly ask Okta’s Legal and Compliance teams to reconsider whether a blanket IP restriction on all Syrian IP addresses is still necessary.

I fully understand that Okta may maintain its own internal security, compliance, risk-management, or commercial policies. However, if the current Syria IP block was originally implemented primarily due to the previous U.S. sanctions environment or Syria’s former designation, I would appreciate it if Okta could reassess whether the restriction should now be removed or updated.

Specifically, I would appreciate clarification on the following:

  1. Is Syria still being IP-blocked because of a current legal or regulatory requirement, or is this now an internal Okta policy?

  2. Is Okta currently reviewing its Syria IP-blocking policy following the changes to the U.S. sanctions framework?

  3. If there is no longer a legal requirement for a blanket Syria IP block, could Okta consider removing the restriction?

  4. If a complete removal is not currently possible, could Okta provide an exemption for legitimate existing customers and users who need to access Duo from Syria?

  5. Could Okta also review and update its public documentation regarding Syria to reflect the current regulatory environment?

My request is not to purchase or enable any new services. I am simply requesting access to use Duo for legitimate authentication purposes for an existing company environment while temporarily working from Syria.

I would greatly appreciate it if this request could be forwarded to the appropriate Legal, Compliance, and Policy teams for formal review.

Thank you for taking the time to reconsider this matter. I would be grateful for any clarification regarding the current basis for the Syria IP restriction and whether Okta is planning to update its policy.

Kind regards,

3

Hi @abd.masri93

Welcome to the Auth0 Community!

I understand that you want to bring into discussion that Auth0’s internal policy to retain the block over Syrian IP Addresses no longer reflect any official U.S. Sanctions that are in place at this moment.

We appreciate the feedback and concern that you express on this delicate matter! Just to have this documented and for visibility, allow me to share the Auth0 Knowledge Article that goes over all policies that affect our platform : Sanctioned Country Traffic Blocked by Auth0.

While the decision to revert the sanctions is under discussion and we will forward your input accordingly, I can warmly recommend the following in order to create more awareness on the situation and if applicable, have the restrictions lifted for your specific use-case for minimal impact:

Thank you for reaching out to us and creating awareness over this sensitive topic! If we can assist you with anything else, please feel free to let us know and we will gladly look into it.

Have a great one!
Gerald