Wix will block Russian residents from its platform starting September 12

Due to new regulation, Wix, an Israeli software company that provides tools for creating your own website, will no longer provide its services to Russian businesses and inhabitants.

This change will go into effect today, on Thursday September 12, 2024, the company says in a support page regarding its services and operations in Russia.

“From this date onwards, you will no longer be able to access your Wix account or any services we provide,” Wix states on its website.

Because of the new restrictions imposed by the United States Treasury and State Department, Wix is required to block and restrict access to all Wix accounts. Once an account has been blocked, all sites belonging to that account can no longer be seen or visited. That goes for both free and premium accounts.

To keep websites alive that were created with the help of Wix, owners have to transfer their domains to another domain registrar or hosting platform. They will have to get a transfer authorization code or EPP code to make that happen. Wix has an extensive support page on how to transfer a domain away from Wix.

People who live in Russia but don’t have a residency status, are offered a choice. They can either transfer their domain to another hosting platform, or they can apply for an exemption. For the latter they have to provide proof of their non-residency. They will have to submit an official document containing their first and last name, and also includes information that they’re not resident in Russia. The Wix Customer Care team will review their case.

People who apply for an exemption will have to take into account that the review process will take a few working days. To be safe it’s best to, at least temporarily, migrate their websites elsewhere.

Wix is a popular website-building platform. Instead of programming how a website should look like, you simply drag-and-drop site elements where you want them, or choose a template and make some modifications. Even people with zero knowledge on coding or no technical skills can build their own personal website, including a personal blog, portfolio, or eCommerce platform.

Wix currently has over 243 million users worldwide.

The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise. The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has recently added several Russian companies to its Entity List. American entrepreneurs and citizens are prohibited from doing business with companies that are on this list. That’s how the United States government tries to protect its national security.

“Russia has shown time and again they have the capability and intent to exploit Russian companies to collect and weaponize sensitive U.S. information, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to safeguard U.S. national security and the American people,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said back in June, just before prohibiting Kaspersky from conducting business on U.S. soil.