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GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

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Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#181

Post by raxxorrax »

red_admiral wrote: post #37
blodovnik wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This really is reason to start thinking about alternatives to github. Now the vast majority of open source projects are controlled by Microsoft corporation which must obey the US goverent and this is the outcome.

Downvoted. Github was subject to US law before MS took it over; gitlab is not MS-owned but had to do the same (not sure about bitbucket but I imagine it's similar). Whether the #1 place to host open-source projects should be owned by a company that makes a closed-source OS is a good debate question but it's completely orthogonal to whether they have to comply with US law. I'm not saying I agree either with the sancti…

I don't think people actively contributing to open source ever cared about in which nation their code was hosted. Because it didn't really matter.

Now it is like an old grumpy grandpa you wanted to get rid off some time ago suddenly caught up with you and enforced some of the shittiest laws you could imagine.

But did they really need to enforce that block? I would imagine nobody would have noticed it and if github wouldn't be owned by a giant that enforces compliance to the letter, Iranian devs wouldn't be banned.

Not the fault of MS, sure, just saying that this is one of the disadvantages about the takeover.

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#182

Post by mattrp »

cdmckay wrote: post #98
AmericanChopper wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ya know what was actually disgusting? The war in Iraq, or any other recent regime change the US executed. If economic warfare is the way it’s done now, then that’s great. Let the casualties be inconvenienced github users, rather than ya know, actual casualties...

You realize that sanctions also kill people through lack of supplies like medicine being available, people being unable to economically support themselves, and, if the sanctions cause the government to collapse, all the death that results from that. So let’s not pretend sanctions are somehow nonviolent.

In this case it seems Microsoft at least is striking the right balance by leaving open the free version. They are not profiting from sanctions yet they are leaving open an information service that could be used to organize dissent within the sanctioned regime. Not that github would be the first place you’d try but at least it’s an option if all the others are blocked.

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#183

Post by sschueller »

amdavidson wrote: post #29
freestate wrote: post #20

How about someone build a platform that is freely available that pushes to github from a not banned Location. Or just stop using github and create or find a truly free platform.

Don't build a system to circumvent sanctions if you're within the reach of the US Government, AKA much of the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_extradit...

Just build it in Switzerland:

"3. The Requested State may deny extradition for acts which: (a) violate provisions of law relating exclusively to currency policy, trade policy, or economic policy; " [1]

[1] http://www.mcnabbassociates.com/Switzerland%20International%...

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#185

Post by sorenjan »

batat wrote: post #172
sorenjan wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I've seen there's no proof of Iran actively developing nuclear weapons, and they've denied doing so. Crimea is under illegal occupation by Russia, shouldn't that mean that the whole of Russia is sanctioned and not Crimea, which still belongs to the Ukraine?

IIRC the whole point of economic restrictions on the occupied territories is to increase number of unsatisfied people which could oppose the occupation from inside.

Russia is pouring money into Crimea, including building a new bridge, and is mass arresting protesters in Moscow. That tactic won't work.

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#186

Post by not_a_cop75 »

wickerman wrote: post #36
dijit wrote: post #2

Same as Gitlab then[0]. US Sanctions should not affect internet services (so long as they are provided for free)[1], but political pressure appears to be very strong. Personally I find it quite abhorrent, and would cite this as a reason not to use US based companies in future. [0]: https://about.gitlab.com/2018/07/19/gcp-move-update/ [1]: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/...

The amount of harassment that citizens of any state that the US claims to hate at any given time endure on a daily basis is disgusting. Exiled iranians living outside of Iran for 20 years have got their bank accounts closed solely for being Iranian. I can't help but think that these internet services will be going that way in the future. The fact that the "free software" community is not putting their foot down for t…

It's unfortunately hard to separate good and honest foreigners from those that would prefer to destroy other nation states.

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#187

Post by theturtletalks »

Algent wrote: post #166
mieseratte wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what can't restricted foreign-nationals do? Private, paid-for repositories? Is there something else particularly important?

If I recall right from previous thread they can still create and commit to public repo but can't delete them. They also can't touch even their own private repo anymore.

They added the option to make private repos public so you can back it up. But again, you can’t delete the now public repo.

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#188

Post by empath75 »

PunchTornado wrote: post #40
majia wrote: post #26

If Crimea was unwillingly annexed by Russia, then the sanction is punishing the victim instead of the criminal. If Crimea people genuinely supported the unification with Russia and received sanction for that, then it is a blatant attack on Crimean people's freedom.

pff, ridiculous comment. a region doesn't have the right to attach itself to another state. think about it. a bunch of russians move to somewhere near grand canion, do a referendum and then proclaim it russian territory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Revolution

Re: GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea

#190

Post by tandem_bike »

fit2rule wrote: post #157
patrickaljord wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, Obama started more wars and bombed more countries than Bush and Trump.

.. thus demonstrating that the US has been a far more negative influence on the world than most Americans have the courage to admit.

People who suffered at the hands of Saddam's regime would disagree. There was jubilation in the streets of Iraq when Saddam was driven out of power.
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