GitHub acquires license to provide services in Iran

GitHub is required to provide services while complying with U.S. laws, and government sanctions continue to prevent it from providing services in some countries. However, GitHub’s goal is to give developers the freedom to use GitHub wherever they live, so they have taken various actions against the US government so far. Accordingly, on January 5, 2020, GitHub announced to the US government that it had acquired a license to provide services to Iran.

The United States has long imposed widespread sanctions on several countries, including Iran. Under these sanctions, U.S. companies were banned from doing business with organizations or individuals in the sanctioned state. In addition, sanctions include processing payments through payment systems such as US banks or visas, so corporate activities have been applied directly or indirectly to non-US companies with respect to the US.

Thus, GitHub was forced to take steps to restrict access to Iran and other countries in 2019. This made it impossible for developers of sanctioned countries, including Iran, to access GitHub. But with the goal of making the service available to everyone, GitHub immediately implemented two actions on the sanctions.

One of the actions taken against the GitHub sanctions was to make great efforts to ensure that GitHub is available to as many developers as possible while complying with the sanctions, and to ensure that the sanctioned countries also have access to public resources. Another is to sue the Foreign Assets Authority OFAC, which is part of the U.S. Department of Treasury, and request open access to GitHub from the approval authorities.

Two years after starting this work, GitHub finally succeeded in obtaining approval from OFAC to provide Iranian services. GitHub said it was able to demonstrate how the United States’ continued foreign policy to promote freedom of speech and free flow of information was promoted, and thanked OFAC for the good results for its developers.

This means that any restrictions on Iranian developers have been lifted, prior to sanctions, so Iran has access to all GitHub services. In addition, GitHub is moving to provide services in regional countries such as Crimea and Syria in the future so that all developers can collaborate. Related information can be found here .