US forces Coursera to ban students from Cuba, Iran, Sudan, and Syria (Slashdot, 29 Jan 2014) –“Coursera is an online website that offers free courses from many of the world’s top universities. Now, all students from Syria, Sudan, Iran and Cuba will no longer be able to access Coursera . The official blog provides more info regarding the ban: ‘ Until now the interpretation of export control regulations as they relate to MOOCs has been unclear and Coursera has been operating under the interpretation that MOOCs would not be restricted. We recently received information that has led to the understanding that the services offered on Coursera are not in compliance with the law as it stands … United States export control regulations prohibit U.S. businesses, such as MOOC providers like Coursera, from offering services to users in sanctioned countries, including Cuba, Iran, Sudan, and Syria. Under the law, certain aspects of Coursera’s course offerings are considered services and are therefore subject to restrictions in sanctioned countries, with the exception of Syria.’”
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