// HACKER NEWS — CYBERSECURITY
The other Sean Byrne doesn't exist
Earlier this year Apple denied me access to App Store Connect after deciding that I matched someone on a U.S. government restricted-party list.
“The information you provided fully matches one or more restricted parties on the U.S. government consolidated screening list or another government’s sanctions list.”
I replied with my full legal name, Sean Joseph Byrne, uploaded my driver’s license, and pointed out the address on the government record they appeared to be matching me against. I’ve never lived at that address, never lived in County Sligo, and have no connection to the company involved. I asked them to escalate it to their sanctions compliance folks and make a proper non-match determination.
Apple’s response after reviewing my identity information.
I knew what had happened because this wasn’t the first time.
Search the U.S. government’s Consolidated Screening List for Sean Byrne and you get exactly one result:
Sean Byrne
Cloonmull House
Drumcliffe, County Sligo
Ireland
Source: Entity List, Bureau of Industry and Security
Added: July 21, 2009
License requirement: All items subject to the EAR
License policy: Presumption of denial
The Consolidated Screening List isn’t itself a sanctions list. It’s a U.S. government screening tool that combines a number of export-control, sanctions and other restricted-party lists maintained by the Departments of Commerce, State and Treasury.
The result comes from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List. “All items subject to the EAR” means the Export Administration Regulations, the rules governing what U.S. companies can ship abroad. “Presumption of denial” is a licensing posture: if someone applies for a licence to export something to this person, the default answer is no. That’s the entire purpose. It’s an export-control instrument but it says nothing about who can be employed, or who can sell shares.