GitHub and Slack Bans Are Hurting Iranian Bitcoin Businesses

Iranian bitcoiners are showing the world what censorship resistance really looks like.

Starting last weekend, Microsoft’s GitHub started identifying and banning Iranian accounts based on U.S. trade restrictions. As such, blockchain developers are hindered from participating in software projects that include private repositories or paid services for commercial ventures. 

“The majority of serious crypto/blockchain projects that are being developed by companies around the world are hosted under the hood [in private repositories],” Behrad Khodayar, CTO of the Iranian blockchain startup Behkame and co-founder of a cryptocurrency exchange in stealth mode, told CoinDesk. “So, when it comes to developers from banned countries, this recent restriction by GitHub will have a major effect on their professional lives and whether they can join such world-class companies.” 

Some of these restrictions are even mistakenly applied to Iranian expats who reside in Europe or…