What Bitcoin and Ethereum can teach GitHub following the Iranian user ban

GitHub, a San Francisco-based open-source code hosting provider, was prevented from providing sanctioned nations, including Iran and Syria, from accessing their supposedly open-source services.

Nat Friedman, CEO of GitHub, revealed that the Microsoft-owned web utility was compelled to abide by U.S. export laws and block Iranian and Syrian users.

GitHub is subject to US trade law, just like any company that does business in the US. - Nat Friedman July 28, 2019.GitHub users denied services based on geographic location.

The GitHub CEO also mentioned that residents from Iran, Syria, and Crimea are not allowed to create private paid company accounts or access the GitHub Marketplace.

Fard also claimed that he was unable to back up his data because GitHub allegedly did not provide notice prior to restricting his access.

GitHub blocks or restricts accounts based on a user's location, which is determined by examining payment history and IP addresses.

The code hosting website does not verify user nationality or ethnic background, the service claims.

As a company incorporated in the U.S., GitHub must follow applicable business laws that have been established by American regulators, even ones that may seem capricious or arbitrary.

If GitHub was a permissionless, peer-to-peer network, then those in Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Cuba, for better or for worse, would still have access to these arguably essential services.

As a decentralized service, GitHub would not be beholden to the agenda of the United States, or anybody else.