GitHub

Software development platform GitHub is essential to developers across the globe. Unfortunately for users in Iran, Syria and Crimea, access is getting squeezed, thanks to US trade law.

GitHub CEO Nat Friedman tweeted Saturday that there will be restrictions on private repositories and paid accounts for users in Iran, Syria and Crimea. But, the company said, they'll still have access to the platform's public repositories services. Friedman did suggest users affected by the sanctions could make their repositories public as a way to bypass the restrictions.

It is painful for me to hear how trade restrictions have hurt people. We have gone to great lengths to do no more than what is required by the law, but of course people are still affected. GitHub is subject to US trade law, just like any company that does business in the US. — Nat Friedman (@natfriedman) July 28, 2019

President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Syria and Crimea during his terms in office. President Donald Trump signed off on new trade sanctions against Iran at the end of June.

Last year, Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock. Friedman said his company would still work independently, even though it's owned by the Windows maker.