GitHub will not block developers from Russia

Last week, a discussion broke out on GitHub about whether to close the platform in Russia because of what is happening in Ukraine. Now the GitHub administration has put an end to this issue — they will not disable access to Russian developers.

“GitHub is a home for all developers, regardless of where they live,” the platform’s administration said.

The company stressed that it takes government decrees seriously, which, among other things, are aimed at restricting Russia’s access to technology. Nevertheless, she will carefully study the decrees so as not to block anyone without good reason.

However, the position of the GitHub team may change. In 2018, Microsoft bought the hosting and collaborative development platform for $7.5 billion. If desired, the company is able to insist on changing the GitHub policy.

So far, Microsoft has not announced the launch of possible restrictions for the Russian market. But recall that the company has been reducing its presence in Russia for a long time. In particular, in November of the same 2018, she transferred all the price tags in the Microsoft Store from rubles to dollars — this price format is still preserved. Also, Xbox Cloud does not work in Russia (but in fairness, the service is available in only 22 countries).

Note that GitHub still bans local developers in some situations. Previously, he restricted Crimean developers. A similar ban also applied to teams from Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea.