appearances matter move to switzerland [LWN.net]

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 5, 2025 23:41 UTC (Wed) by bluca (subscriber, #118303)
In reply to: appearances matter move to switzerland by linuxrocks123
Parent article: The Linux Foundation on global regulations and sanctions

Except of course the people removed from the kernel _were_ on the sanctions list, as they were employed by sanctioned companies, so nothing that you just wrote has anything to do with the matter at hand. Given you are in the US, then go ahead and set up a project and provide services to Baikal Electronics, which is on the sanctions list and is one of the affected companies, and let us know how well that goes for you.

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appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 6, 2025 1:54 UTC (Thu) by linuxrocks123 (subscriber, #34648) [Link] (5 responses)

If you know you're collaborating with someone on the list, then you might have a problem. That is the situation the Linux Foundation was in. But the article makes the much stronger claim that you might have a problem if you don't verify that every single person you talk to on the Internet is not on the list, or even if you do verify that and are defrauded by a sanctioned entity.

That claim is alarmist and ridiculous.

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 6, 2025 2:09 UTC (Thu) by linuxrocks123 (subscriber, #34648) [Link]

Actually, you're probably fine knowingly collaborating with a SDN as long as you're not trying to sell anything. But I guess the Linux Foundation didn't want to fight about that since they are kind of commercial.

If you're knowingly collaborating with a _LISTED_ _TERRORIST_, _THEN_ you are probably in trouble.

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 6, 2025 10:14 UTC (Thu) by bluca (subscriber, #118303) [Link] (1 responses)

No, it doesn't. It's about sanctions and sanctioned entities. Once again, if you think it's "alarmist and ridicolous", just go provide services to Baikal Electronics or their employees and pretend you didn't know they are sanctioned, and let us know how that works out for you.

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 7, 2025 0:50 UTC (Fri) by linuxrocks123 (subscriber, #34648) [Link]

No, how about you close your GitHub account and not talk to anyone without having proof of their real-world identity and checking that identity against the SDN list?

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 6, 2025 11:48 UTC (Thu) by lunaryorn (guest, #111088) [Link] (1 responses)

The article does not claim it's about "every single person you talk to on the Internet".

The article is about a a very specific kind of talk, namely collaboration on and contribution to an open source project with significant impact. And from that angle the claim in the article is neither alarmist nor ridiculous but describes the very reality of everyone working in areas routinely impacted by US export control laws and sanctions.

That's just a fact, whether you like it or not, and from the point of view of someone who's working in such an area I sorry to have to admit that I find it increasingly hard to take your somewhat unsubstantiated comments serious.

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 7, 2025 0:58 UTC (Fri) by linuxrocks123 (subscriber, #34648) [Link]

That's okay. You can just never send a patch over email or collaborate on a GitHub pull request without first knowing your counterparty's real name and meeting with them in person to check their passport and verify they're not actually a SDN pretending to be someone else.

You can certainly believe that the law requires that, and you won't get in trouble for believing that. You won't be _DOING_ much, but you won't get in trouble.

appearances matter move to switzerland

Posted Feb 6, 2025 11:29 UTC (Thu) by paulj (subscriber, #341) [Link]

I thought it was that (in at least some cases) they /may/ at one time have worked for a sanctioned entity, and (in at least some cases) they were simply removed on that basis - but without specific and current knowledge of their employment status.