GitHub’s raw.githubusercontent.com subdomain appears to be blocked by some internet service providers (ISPs) in India despite the Madras High Court ordering ISPs to unblock the site in January 2023.
My ISP (@reliancejio) keeps blocking traffic to https://t.co/UNGIglgm2T which breaks many programming tools (mostly scripts that download packages). They seem to be doing it via deep-packet inspection so the only solution is a vpn. 😠
— Nilesh (@nileshtrivedi) November 9, 2023
The blocking seems to be sporadic. Some users on X pointed out that Jio and Hathway have blocked the URL, but within the MediaNama team, some Jio users (broadband and mobile data) were able to access the site, while others weren’t. The root cause for this isolated blocking is unclear.
The blocked URL is an important resource for developers. It “breaks many programming tools (mostly scripts that download packages),” Nilesh Trivedi, co-founder and CTO of Snow Mountain AI, posted on X. “Spent an entire week figuring out why Brew was timing out, only to realize that Hathway Broadband was screwing me over,” another user posted.
Users who are unable to access the site can try changing the DNS server in their router settings to fix the issue, as suggested in the discussion here. Another option is to use a VPN to access the site, but this could be expensive as free VPNs have lots of restrictions.
The URL was initially blocked by all ISPs at the beginning of January 2023 because of a Madras High Court order, but after the case was withdrawn, the court ordered ISPs to unblock the site in the same month.
The Madras High Court arbitrarily, without application of mind, ordered that https://t.co/9pyxbLexd0 be blocked. It was also orderes to be unblocked in January 2023, after the case was withdrawn.
Most idiotic & arbitrary website blocks in India happen via court orders. https://t.co/HXSfl7AtKB
— Pranesh Prakash (@pranesh) November 9, 2023
It’s not clear why ISPs haven’t unblocked the site over 10 months after the Madras High Court’s order. This could be seen as a net neutrality violation by these ISPs as the blocking is being done in the absence of a valid court or government order.
Looks like Jio didn't get the memo to unblock. https://t.co/CPpc58cNgO
— Aroon Deep (@AroonDeep) November 9, 2023
Also Read
- Report: A Closer Look At India’s Website Blocking Practices, And Everything That’s Wrong With It
- Delhi And Mumbai Police File Much-Anticipated Chargesheets In The Sulli Deals And Bulli Bai Cases
- IT Ministry Issues Blocking Orders For 22 ‘Illegal’ Betting And Gambling Apps And Websites
- Indian Government Declines To Accept Disclaimer In Case Against Blocking Of Satirical Website “Dowry Calculator”
STAY ON TOP OF TECH NEWS: Our daily newsletter with the top story of the day from MediaNama, delivered to your inbox before 9 AM. Click here to sign up today!
