Information about my main GitHub account @seanpm2001 which was flagged on 2022 July 19th.
On 2022, Tuesday, July 19th, upon starting my computer, I found that my main account had been flagged. It retained functionality, except for images not rendering (but none of the files being corrupted) and my entire account being hidden from public view. I have sent a repeal on 2022, July 19th, but as of 3:10 pm PST on 2022 July 22nd, I have received no response.
On 2022 July 22nd, I sent another appeal message, as the previous email I used was incorrect. I won't put the image here, as it is pretty much the same, but here is the message sent image:
Date | Flagged? |
---|---|
2022, Tuesday, July 19th | ✔️ |
2022, Wednesday, July 20th | ✔️ |
2022, Thursday, July 21st | ✔️ |
2022, Friday, July 22nd | ✔️ |
2022, Saturday, July 23rd | ✔️ |
I was advised to make a message via my alt account. I have been hesitant to do so, as I fear it could get unfairly blocked as well. I am not attempting to circumvent the block, I just needed to message my followers what has happened.
It might be related to the flag on my main account, but my first and main GitHub organization was also flagged.
Screenshot 1 | Screenshot 2 |
---|---|
I have been under significant stress during this time period. Things are being delayed, and my future is uncertain. There are many examples of people cloning/forking my repositories, but my official projects are not publicly available at the moment. Additionally, I have received followers while my account was blocked, which I find odd.
Original follower count at start of flag/suspension | Gaining a follower during flag/suspension |
---|---|
I am restricted from searching repository source code by language while logged in, but if I log out/go into private browsing mode, it works just fine.
Upon going to any of my issues or pull requests, I noticed that a label Spammy
is applied to all my posts. This is additionally what it says:
GitHub customer support has been exceedingly poor. The contact form is taking a very long time, I am not being told why I was flagged, I can't email GitHub (they just blocked my email address when I tried) the forum appears to be moving to GitHub discussions (which will just make it impossible for people with this problem to reach out) and I have not been able to interact with an actual person (not even a bot)
The flag has had a highly negative impact on my life and my future. Several opportunities have been missed, and most of my work is now hidden, with other unofficial reproductions now being the only source, most of them are incomplete and infringing.
Thousands of projects have been affected by this. Additionally, contributions to other repositories are now no longer crediting me, and I have missed out on a lot of people discovering my projects.
I tried to migrate to GitLab in the meantime, and GitHub finally gave me the reason why my account was flagged:
https://github.community/t/flagged-account-aware-of-221-thread-2-questions/1785
https://github.community/t/my-account-is-flagged/282
https://github.community/t/why-is-my-account-flagged-as-spam/1333
https://github.community/t/github-us-trade-law-sanctions-appeal-is-bugged/199102/
https://github.community/t/the-community-is-moving/261602/
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File type: Markdown (*.md *.mkd *.mdown *.markdown)
File version: 4 (2022, Saturday, July 23rd at 4:46 pm PST)
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Version 1 (2022, Thursday, July 21st at 8:32 pm PST)
This version was made by: @seanwallawalla
Changes:
- Started the file
- Added the description section
- No other changes in version 1
Version 2 (2022, Thursday, July 21st at 8:32 pm PST)
This version was made by: @seanwallawalla
Changes:
- Added the
context
section - Added the
usage of alt account
section - Added the
stress
section - Added the
GitHub customer support
section - Added the
sources
section - No other changes in version 2
Version 3 (2022, Friday, July 22nd at 3:10 pm PST)
This version was made by: @seanwallawalla
Changes:
- Referenced several image files
- Updated the
context
section - Updated the
usage of alt account
section -
- Added the
Alt account discovery
subsection
- Added the
- Updated the
stress
section - Added the
odd restrictions
section - Updated the
GitHub customer support
section - Added the
spammy
section - Updated the
sources
section -
- Added the
Other people dealing with the same problem
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
related problems
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
forum is moving
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
contact link
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
GitHub email address (bot)
subsection
- Added the
- Added the
file info
section - Added the
file history
section - No other changes in version 3
Version 3 (2022, Friday, July 22nd at 3:10 pm PST)
This version was made by: @seanwallawalla
Changes:
- Referenced several image files
- Updated the
context
section - Updated the
usage of alt account
section -
- Added the
Alt account discovery
subsection
- Added the
- Updated the
stress
section - Added the
odd restrictions
section - Updated the
GitHub customer support
section - Added the
spammy
section - Updated the
sources
section -
- Added the
Other people dealing with the same problem
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
related problems
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
forum is moving
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
contact link
subsection
- Added the
-
- Added the
GitHub email address (bot)
subsection
- Added the
- Added the
file info
section - Added the
file history
section - No other changes in version 3
Version 4 (2022, Saturday, July 23rd at 4:46 pm PST)
This version was made by: @seanwallawalla
Changes:
- Referenced some new image files
- Updated the
context
section - Added the
Negative impact
section - Added the
Inability to use third party programs
section - Added the
file info
section - Added the
file history
section - No other changes in version 4