GitHub says Chinese developers are safe from export restrictions

Developers will not lose access to open source code simply because the platform is based in the US

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GitHub says Chinese developers are safe from export restrictions

Published: 9:13pm, 30 May 2019Updated: 9:05am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

GitHub has allayed some of the fears that it will cut off access to open source code in China, leaving a vital tool open for the country’s developers.

Some developers previously voiced concerns that GitHub, as a US-based platform, could be caught up in the ongoing US-China tech war. But the company told Abacus that the provision of software services over the internet, such as the code collaboration in repositories on GitHub.com, is not subject to the new US export control mandates related to local companies in China.

“Developers can continue to engage in these repositories,” a spokesperson for GitHub said.

Chinese developers were initially alarmed after discovering (or rediscovering) GitHub’s export control rules. The rules reference the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) -- the same regulations used to restrict Huawei from accessing products and services made by US companies. GitHub is based in San Francisco and was bought by Microsoft last year.

GitHub is the world’s largest code hosting platform. It stores countless open source code projects that people from around the world can view and collaborate on, which means losing access would be a major headache.

Chinese developers fear losing open source tech to trade war

Open source software is a part of many of our favorite online products like Facebook or Netflix. Some tech is made entirely on open source code including Mozilla Firefox, Linux and Google’s mobile OS Android.