Bitcoin developers flagged a user suspension this week by Microsoft’s GitHub as an example of the company’s disconcerting level of control over Bitcoin’s technical architecture.

Fortunately, many developers rallied in support of the pseudonymous “grim,” gaining the attention of a GitHub support representative who reactivated them.

Nonetheless, the incident highlighted the power of Microsoft to arbitrarily censor the communications and code editing privileges of Bitcoin developers as a serious matter.

GitHub’s shortcomings are a frequent complaint by Bitcoin contributors.

First of all, software development cycles are time-sensitive. Votes or authorizations are often tallied on GitHub and are actioned within specific windows of time on a scheduled timetable.

If GitHub suspends a user, that censorship could cause significant distortion of the consensus-making process between other developers who might not be aware of the suspension.

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