3 Government Databases You Must Know About to Stay Safe

For over a decade, the United States has been on high alert to terrorist attacks, just as other parts of the world have too. There are so many world conflicts taking place that a country must take the proper precautions to protect its citizens.

In an effort to keep our country safe, the United States Government has put together several government databases listing known criminals, terrorists, products, and companies that may not do import and export business with the U.S. This also means that individuals or entities in the U.S. are forbidden to do business with any person or business that have been blocked, denied, and debarred and appear in these databases.

Where Do I Find the Government Databases?

There are websites that one can access easily to view the government databases. There are over 80 known lists to cross check whether a person or entity has been banned from doing business with the United States. When a U.S. company is conducting business with a foreign entity, it is the company’s responsibility to do their due diligence to ensure the safety of its country.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s site will provide several links to lists providing information on blocked and denied entities, as well as a debarred persons lists.

The agencies the site refers to are the Bureau of Industry and Security which will provide a Denied Persons List and Entity List

The Office of Foreign Assets Control which provides a Special Designated Nationals and Blocked Person List

The Office of Defense Trade Controls, which gives a Debarred Parties List

The U.S. Government Printing Office, which will provide the Federal Register. 

• Each of these agencies is responsible for keeping its lists up-to-date. The purpose of the lists is to provide exporters with companies, entities, and persons sanctioned by the U.S. Government and are forbidden to export goods from the U.S. It is the job of the exporter to be sure they are conducting transactions using the proper procedures and that exports are authorized properly.
• The U.S. Department of State is another site that can provide useful information to ensure the safety of the country. The site provides links to the following lists: The Foreign Terrorist Organizations List (FTO), which provides a list of names of individuals or organizations that are or have been known to conduct business with terrorist groups or themselves are part of a terrorist group. Once these targets are listed, they will not be allowed to travel in the U.S. and any financial accounts with U.S. institutions are frozen.The State Sponsors of Terrorism is a list of countries that have been directly involved with support of terrorist groups. Currently there are four countries on this list, which are Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Sudan. Executive Order 13224, which was signed by President Bush in 2001, designates that the U.S. Government can impede terrorist funding. They have the power to stop financial support networks and block assets of foreigners or business that have given support to terrorists or pose a threat of doing so. The last link this site provides is to the Terrorism Designations Press Releases page, which lists the announcements from the Office of the Spokesperson as new terrorists or organizations are identified.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides a list of companies and individuals that are debarred under sections 306(a), (b)(1) and (b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which is published in the Federal Register. Not only does this site provide the names of the offenders, but it gives the effective date they were added to the list, how long they are barred, and in most cases, a document about the case is provided from the Federal Register.

All of the sites referenced not only have links to the various lists, but also provide detailed information on how the lists are determined and used. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of individuals and businesses to use reasonable care and due diligence when conducting business affairs with foreign countries.