GitHub Received 26 Content Removal Requests from Russia, China, and Hong Kong in 2021

In 2021, GitHub received and processed 26 government requests to remove content in accordance with national laws from Russia, China, and Hong Kong. These requests resulted in the blocking of 69 projects. For comparison, in 2020, the platform processed 44 requests concerning 44 projects—all from Russia.

According to GitHub’s transparency report, “GitHub remains committed to transparency and protecting freedom of expression. This is an integral part of our obligations to developers. We strive to set an example with our approach to transparency by providing detailed explanations regarding content removals that are most relevant to developers and software development platforms.”

GitHub rejected two government requests (both from Russia) because they were either incomplete or the content was already unavailable. In the first half of 2021, the platform processed only four government requests, but this number steadily increased in the second half of the year.

Requests for User Information and Other Removals

In 2021, GitHub received 335 requests for user information disclosure (two more than in 2020). Of these, 195 were related to subpoenas (183 in criminal cases and 12 in civil cases), 94 were due to court orders, and 22 were search warrants. The vast majority (96.4%) of these requests came from law enforcement agencies, while the remaining 3.6% were from civil litigants seeking information about the other party.

Out of the 335 requests, GitHub disclosed information in 269 cases (178 subpoenas, 64 court orders, 22 search warrants, and 5 emergency requests). In only 9 of these 269 cases did the platform notify users; in 255 other cases, a court order prohibited notification. The remaining 5 were handled under emergency circumstances, where GitHub delayed notification, believing it necessary to prevent death or serious harm in the context of ongoing investigations.

Additionally, GitHub removed content 1,828 times in accordance with the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The platform also began restricting materials related to violence and hid 4,585 accounts in 2021.