GitHub (Microsoft) blocks developers in countries facing US trade sanctions

[droida]

I found a creepy news

Developers who lives in Crimea are banned from GitHub.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/github-starts-blocking-developers-in-countries-facing-us-trade-sanctions/

GitHub starts blocking developers in countries facing US trade sanctions
If you use GitHub's online services in a country facing US sanctions, you could be about to be kicked off all but the most basic offerings.

There's a debate over free speech taking place after Microsoft-owned GitHub "restricted" the account of a developer based in the Crimea region of Ukraine, who used the service to host his website and gaming software.
GitHub this week told Anatoliy Kashkin, a 21-year-old Russian citizen who lives in Crimea, that it had "restricted" his GitHub account "due to US trade controls".

The GitHub's rules

https://help.github.com/en/articles/github-and-trade-controls

... Crimea region of Ukraine. This list currently contains Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria, but is subject to change.

Travel in these regions may impact your account status

The story of an Iranian developer

https://medium.com/@hamed/github-blocked-my-account-and-they-think-im-developing-nuclear-weapons-e7e1fe62cb74

First, some background: I am a software developer based in Iran and I’m on GitHub since 2012. In January 2019 when they announced that GitHub free includes unlimited private repositories, I completely moved to GitHub.
...

An interesting discussion about the ban

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20531039

This is very disquieting

The source code for many open source projects is on GitHub, including Bitcoin and Steem.
If the US government decides to ban cryptocurrencies, the source code of Bitcoin will no longer be available.

Comments

[fraenk]

It's time someone puts GIT on the blockchain :P

[droida]

I was also thinking about putting source code in the Steem blockchain. There are already a lot of posts with examples and tutorials.
The smart contracts use base64 encoded source code in comments to operate.

We can also imagine a blockchain dedicated to the source code and even to compiled code.
Yet another gitcoin ;)

[curationkiwi]

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[krecikdwamiljony]

The source code for many open source projects is on GitHub, including Bitcoin and Steem. If the US government decides to ban cryptocurrencies, the source code of Bitcoin will no longer be available.

That's not true. If a project has open source (really open source like for example GPL'ed) it's:

1. Almost certain multiple people will have it and then it is only a matter of placing it somewhere else.
2. Pretty much impossible for Github/Microsoft/anyone else to do anything about it due to the very fundaments of open source licenses. That's exactly what they are meant for - to stop anyone from attempting something like that. Once you obtain the source code you have a very strong right to posess it and to modify and publish it pretty much however and wherever you like.

[droida]

You are right. Bitcoin source code is mirrored hundreds of times already.

GPL license and other free licenses are a blessing. Fortunately, these exist and prevent companies from appropriating all intellectual property.
These licenses could be later declared outlawed on the pretext that they protect, for example, encryption algorithms. These are considered as a weapon by some states. No one knows what the future holds for us, and what liberties we will loose more.

[dogancankilment]

Hi Droida, I saw his post "Iranian developer" too. Sadly but true. When github first came out based totally free platform and equal approach, and today there is a huge difference in the sense of freedom. I remember this when I hear purchased process "Microsoft promises to leave Github independently purchased for $ 7.5 billion"

[droida]

I remember these promises too. Businesses, like politicians, make promises that they will keep for a while, but will quickly deny them in the name of growth or security.

[drotto]

This post has received a 3.13 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @curationkiwi.

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