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Programming

Internal Email Shows GitHub Plans To Renew ICE Contract (vice.com) 76

Posted by msmash from the tussle-continues dept.
GitHub CEO Nat Friedman explained why the company plans to renew a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even though he and others at GitHub oppose ICE's policy of separating children from parents at the border, Motherboard reported on Wednesday, citing an internal GitHub email. From a report: The email shows the continuing debate within the tech industry about whether companies should work specifically with ICE, and comes as a host of other companies have dealt with employee protests over corporate involvement with ICE. "In August, the GitHub leadership team learned about a pending renewal of our product by the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Since then, we have been talking with people throughout the company, based on our own personal concerns and those raised by Hubbers," Friedman's email reads, referring to GitHub employees. Evan Greer, deputy director at activism group Fight for the Future tweeted a copy of the email on Tuesday. Motherboard also separately obtained a copy of the email from a source inside GitHub. The product up for renewal is a license of GitHub Enterprise Server, an on-premises deployment of GitHub that customers can run on their own server, according to the email. ICE originally bought a license in April, 2016.
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Internal Email Shows GitHub Plans To Renew ICE Contract More

Internal Email Shows GitHub Plans To Renew ICE Contract

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  • And? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by memory_register ( 6248354 ) on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @11:10AM (#59287882)
    GitHub is part of a publicly traded company that does all sorts of routine business with the federal government. ICE fulfills a necessary constitutional duty of the federal government. Next story, please.
    • They can go about it less evilly thou

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by guruevi ( 827432 )

        Then overturn the Obama era legislation that forces them down this path. Democrats have voted down every change to ICE funding so they must own the status quo.

      • If you're for illegal mass migration into any country you're as evil as they come Satan... This implies you are in favor of human trafficking, rape (children included), slavery, drug trafficking, organized crime and, unless you're an illegal yourself, you're in favor of putting Americans at a tremendous disadvantage to people, that shouldn't even be here, for jobs and government services that we pay for that illegals don't. Illegal immigration depresses wages in general and inflates crime in general. Use y
      • Let me guess, your head is so far down the 'Orange man bad' rabbit hole that you also think Trump is "putting people in cages" while conveniently forgetting the reality they were built by and actively used by the Savior Obama administration. Lets also not burn down that comfortable fuzzy place called 'lets pretend that Obama didn't deport more illegals than Trump because it doesn't play nice with my Trump Derangement Syndrome.'

      • yep -- maybe keep parents and children together on the southern side of the border.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by DickBreath ( 207180 )
      Was IBM publicly traded when they provided technology to the Nazis to more efficiently kill people?
      • They were a publicly traded company in the 30's and 40's and they sold things to Germany (like every company in the world that could) until we were at war with them. Did you have a point here? Or were you just trying to imply something that's bullshit to look all smart and stuff?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Empiric ( 675968 )

        The Nazis were violators of international law. ICE is enforcing national law, and nowhere is anything but the notion that national borders are right and essential, backed or implemented by any other country.

        So no, not even marginally analogous.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
        Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • But there is a parallel, at least to those of us who at least have a vague understanding of history.

          I'm not saying they shouldn't do business with ICE, but IBM saw nothing wrong with doing business with Germany in the '30s leading up to the Holocaust.

          I'll admit, I never read much about IBM's involvement with the Nazi regime. I think it had something to do with the census or tracking citizens at first - all seemingly innocent. Similarly, I see nothing wrong with enforcing immigration laws.

          But certain polici

    • Hold on.

      What part of the Constitution?

    • One institution (public) using another institution (Github) as a blunt-tool instrument of it's policies. Kind of like when the copyright cartel uses ISPs as tools for it's policies. It's bad when they do it, good when we do it.

    • Yeah, this falls under the "So What?" category. They're working for a federal agency. This is routine. It's no different than working for DoD or any other federal employer. The post seems like an attempt to gin up rage. Doesn't seem to be working thus far.

    • ICE fulfills a necessary constitutional duty of the federal government.

      Do you mean busting people for putting out water for migrants who might otherwise die of thirst, or taking children away from their parents and putting them into for-profit concentration camps?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sjames ( 1099 )

      So you're going with the Bayer defense?

  • This is not news for nerds. This is nothing more than left wing propaganda. It has no business being on /.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re:This is not News For Nerds (Score:5, Informative)

        by jwhyche ( 6192 ) on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @11:34AM (#59288034) Homepage

        The articles content has nothing to do with my objections. The fact that it doesn't belong here at all is what I'm objecting too. The left was so anti ICE on everything, and so against law enforcement, then it would never be here to begin with.

        • It's at least vaguely connected with technology and there is the broader discussion about technology companies doing business with or contracting for governments irrespective of the branch, agency, or politics involved.

          The article about rich people and taxes from the other day had nothing to do with technology at all. At least this has a veneer of relevancy even though everyone realizes its a facade.

          • It's at least vaguely connected with technology and there is the broader discussion about technology companies doing business with or contracting for governments irrespective of the branch, agency, or politics involved.

            It is not news precisely because this is business as usual. Only the vocal minority thinks there is a story here.

      • Since when does "selling a license" constitute a contract?

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by jwhyche ( 6192 )

      This is not news for nerds. This is nothing more than left wing propaganda. It has no business being on /.

      Oh look at that. Already ruffled some feathers. To bad. .

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      No, it's even worse than that. Slashdot used to have a corporate partnership with Sourceforge, one of GitHub's competitors.

      Because of that, this is more of a smear campaign from jealous competitor who got their ass kicked by the competition.

  • Businesses, or employees of businesses, could exert more pressure on government organs if it weren't for the fact that another business can easily come along and sell the government the product or service that you refuse to sell. End result: you lost profitable business to competitor.

    The business might view it as treating all customers equally because they don't care what their employees think.

    History can potentially remember things like IBM providing equipment to the Nazis.

    (Godwin only applies w

    • History can potentially remember things like IBM providing equipment to the Nazis

      Kinda :

      "Hitler and his troops used tabulating machines made by Dehomag, a German subsidiary of IBM," Silver said. "These machines have been exhibited at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and extensive records on the machines are in the archives of the Hohenheim University in Stuttgart, Germany."

      Dehomag was placed under the control of the Reich government just before the war broke out. The tabulating machines made by the company were used for censuses taken in 1933 and 1939, and allowed the Nazis t

    • Also, Godwin himself has declared his law to be on hiatus for the duration of the present circumstances. Party on.

    • (Godwin only applies when someone suggests their debate opponent is, or compares their opponent to a Nazi. It is not invoked for mere mention of Nazis, especially in historical context.)

      Untrue. Any comparison involving Nazis or Hitler fulfills the law.

      As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1"

      • Godwin is about how a thread deteriorates into people calling each other Nazis, or comparing their opponent to Nazis. That is not what is happening here.

        I'm making a historical reference involving Nazis. History seems to remember IBM and the Nazis, so it likely is capable of remembering current day events too.

        Mere mention of Nazis is not some magical invocation of Godwin.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      Illegal migrants and other nations criminals staying in the USA is not something that is legal.
      • Just because something is not legal does not mean that the US should treat human beings like animals. Especially children.

        We can and must control our borders.

        We do not have to become monsters in order to do so.

  • ..money talks, apparently ...

    • >>"The revenue from the purchase is less than $200,000 and not financially material for our company," it adds.

      That's a lot of money for everyone else. Like I said, money talks--that's why they went ahead with it.

  • China we surrender!

  • Come on ! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Every law enforcement agency separates children from parents when they commit crimes.

    This should never mean criminals should be exempt from their punishment.

    Something is bad about the entire mentality of this.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward
      But you don't understand, what about MY FEELINGS!? Also, orange man is bad, you Nazi scum.

  • GitHub CEO Nat Friedman explained why the company plans to renew a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even though he and others at GitHub oppose ICE's policy of separating children from parents at the border, ...

    He (they) cares more about ICE separating GitHub from their money?

    • The those people can refuse to work on the contract, quit, and go find work elsewhere that is more to their liking. Quite simple that.

  • Github already has a track record - ever since Microsoft acquired them - of doing dirty work for ICE. https://developers.slashdot.or... [slashdot.org]

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