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Comment by spindritf | Hacker News Reader

What are the limitations on free and open source software? Are GitHub or Linux repository operators obligated to stop downloads from Russian IPs? Or does Oracle have some special relationship with the USG?

BTW, I can envision a future headline from NYT Upshot like How the embargo on grains, apples, and Java led Russia to become a computer science powerhouse.

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The situation is problematic and in the gray area for FOSS projects. Eg Debian had separate "non-us" repository because export limitations, Red Hat[2] and Apache[3] explicitly forbid exporting their software to "illegal" destinations.

[1] https://wiki.debian.org/non-US

[2] http://www.redhat.com/licenses/export/

[3] http://www.apache.org/licenses/exports/

The ReadHat and Apache pages are instructions in how to comply with US law. Since they are at the US, they can not export the software.

ReadHat isn't completely free, but Apache's license has no restricion on exporting the software, as required by FSF guidelines. Somebody not in the US can export it at will. (And the US can forbid Apache from distributing to that somebody...)

>How the embargo on grains, apples, and Java led Russia to become a computer science powerhouse.

Yeah, just like North Korea, Syria and Cuba did.

The only limitations are the ones applied by the US government. You cannot download lots of things from Cuba, Iran, Syria and North Korea. And now Russia, but you can still buy Russian gas.

The irony is that most of this started when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, while she was championing free and open internet. But her own department "somehow" had different ideas.

Certain software is classified as 'munitions'

But come on, does that really stop anyone in those countries from downloading software?

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