Xiaomi Trying to Block User Access to GitHub: Report

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The report claims that the action has been taken to control protests rising against China’s overtime work culture

A report published by China-based Abacus News claims that Xiaomi has blocked access to 996.icu repository on its smartphone browser in China. The other companies to do the same include Tencent and Qihoo.

Abacus News’ report read, “Now with some of China’s biggest tech firms censoring the project, netizens have noted the ironic turn of events. “So these 996 companies’ 996 developers had to work 996 to block a website about 996,” one user said on Weibo in a comment liked nearly 800 times.”

This move by the companies is drawing tremendous amount of criticism from a lot of people in the country. The report also mentions that users browsing internet on international browsers are not facing any problems.

Overtime work culture in China

Though the report may have come as a shocker to many, it is still a straight fact that a lot of consumer electronics companies still prefer to outsource critical components from the country. There are also companies that import completely build units from China.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, at the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou had explained why Apple continues to make iPhone models in China. He had said that almost two million developers were writing apps for Apple’s iOS app store.

Cook mentioned, “China has moved into very advanced manufacturing, so you find in China the intersection of craftsman kind of skill, and sophisticated robotics and the computer science world. That intersection, which is very rare to find anywhere, that kind of skill, is very important to our business because of the precision and quality level that we like. The thing that most people focus on if they’re a foreigner coming to China is the size of the market, and obviously it’s the biggest market in the world in so many areas. But for us, the number one attraction is the quality of the people.”

Pointing out towards the capabilities of developers in China, Cook at the Fortune Global Forum in Guangzhou, said, “There’s almost 2 million application developers in China that write apps for the iOS App Store. These are some of the most innovative mobile apps in the world, and the entrepreneurs that run them are some of the most inspiring and entrepreneurial in the world. Those are sold not only here but exported around the world.”