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What steps can maintainers of projects hosted on GitHub/GitLab/etc take to make their projects available to users in countries affected by this US policy? For

What steps can maintainers of projects hosted on GitHub/GitLab/etc take to make their projects available to users in countries affected by this US policy? For example, is there an alternative git hosting site where it would be helpful for me to maintain a fork, so that the README is available and people can open issues and PRs? Similarly, where would be a good place to host the binaries built on each release so that they are accessible?

dilatedmind 6y ago
I could be reading this wrong, but it looks like github allows open source contributions from sanctioned countries. https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/github/site-policy/github-and-trade-controls https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/github/site-...
- Myrmornis 6y ago
  OK, and from the article it looks like GitLab is blocking all access to their site. So is your understanding that GitLab is currently much more restrictive than GitHub in this regard?
  - dilatedmind 6y ago
    their readme there states > GitHub is committed to continuing to offer free public repository services to developers with individual and organizational accounts in U.S.-sanctioned regions. This includes limited access to free services, such as public repositories for open source projects (and associated public Pages), public gists, and allotted free Action minutes, for personal communications only, and not for commercial purposes. maybe someone can confirm how this works in practice?
ReptileMan 6y ago
>What steps can maintainers of projects hosted on GitHub/GitLab/etc take to make their projects available to users in countries affected by this US policy? If they are under US jurisdiction it is inadvisable to try and circumvent such stuff.
- Myrmornis 6y ago
  I'm talking about something like keeping a fork on a git hosting website in a country where it's accessible by anyone. No individual open source developer is going to be prosecuted for doing that.
  - ReptileMan 6y ago
    Once again for US citizen in US under US jurisdiction - testing what DoJ will consider violation of the sanctions is dangerous games with only downsides. As the Aaron Swartz case showed it is enough to get entangled. Especially if you maintain something that could be considered dual purpose
    - da39a3ee 6y ago
      You're so scared of the country you live in that you are publicly recommending to your fellow Americans that they don't host a project on a (gasp) German website like codeberg? You have completely lost perspective, or you are a mindless rule-follower, or a coward, or some combination of all of these. I also find the Aaron Swartz case extremely sad and depressing, but what he was doing was very different from using a European website in the way the website owners intend. > with only downsides. Of course there are upsides; that is the whole point of this discussion: the upside is that the resources will be available to all people in the world.
      - ReptileMan 6y ago
        Don't challenge state authority if you are not prepared to fight, have reasonable chance of winning and are ready to pay the price of failure. If you are US citizen, you are forced to comply with the laws. The fact that you host something in Germany, doesn't mean it is not under sanctions. If you tomorrow move your repo from github to codeberg and write "moved here so my iranian friends can have access to my work" - well chances are no one will notice. But if the state by bad luck puts their crosshair on you - don't be surprised if the result is the same as the Aaron Swartz case. I am not claiming that you are even wrong. Just that when you are playing russian roulette - don't act surprised if there is a bullet.

dilatedmind 6y ago

I could be reading this wrong, but it looks like github allows open source contributions from sanctioned countries. https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/github/site-policy/github-and-trade-controls https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/github/site-...

Myrmornis 6y ago
OK, and from the article it looks like GitLab is blocking all access to their site. So is your understanding that GitLab is currently much more restrictive than GitHub in this regard?
- dilatedmind 6y ago
  their readme there states > GitHub is committed to continuing to offer free public repository services to developers with individual and organizational accounts in U.S.-sanctioned regions. This includes limited access to free services, such as public repositories for open source projects (and associated public Pages), public gists, and allotted free Action minutes, for personal communications only, and not for commercial purposes. maybe someone can confirm how this works in practice?

ReptileMan 6y ago

>What steps can maintainers of projects hosted on GitHub/GitLab/etc take to make their projects available to users in countries affected by this US policy? If they are under US jurisdiction it is inadvisable to try and circumvent such stuff.

Myrmornis 6y ago
I'm talking about something like keeping a fork on a git hosting website in a country where it's accessible by anyone. No individual open source developer is going to be prosecuted for doing that.
- ReptileMan 6y ago
  Once again for US citizen in US under US jurisdiction - testing what DoJ will consider violation of the sanctions is dangerous games with only downsides. As the Aaron Swartz case showed it is enough to get entangled. Especially if you maintain something that could be considered dual purpose
  - da39a3ee 6y ago
    You're so scared of the country you live in that you are publicly recommending to your fellow Americans that they don't host a project on a (gasp) German website like codeberg? You have completely lost perspective, or you are a mindless rule-follower, or a coward, or some combination of all of these. I also find the Aaron Swartz case extremely sad and depressing, but what he was doing was very different from using a European website in the way the website owners intend. > with only downsides. Of course there are upsides; that is the whole point of this discussion: the upside is that the resources will be available to all people in the world.
    - ReptileMan 6y ago
      Don't challenge state authority if you are not prepared to fight, have reasonable chance of winning and are ready to pay the price of failure. If you are US citizen, you are forced to comply with the laws. The fact that you host something in Germany, doesn't mean it is not under sanctions. If you tomorrow move your repo from github to codeberg and write "moved here so my iranian friends can have access to my work" - well chances are no one will notice. But if the state by bad luck puts their crosshair on you - don't be surprised if the result is the same as the Aaron Swartz case. I am not claiming that you are even wrong. Just that when you are playing russian roulette - don't act surprised if there is a bullet.