GitHub Appeal and Reinstatement

While the majority of interactions between individuals in GitHub’s community fall within our Acceptable Use Policies and Community Guidelines, violations of those policies do occur at times. When they do, GitHub staff may need to take enforcement action to address the violations. However, we understand that sometimes we might make mistakes. In some cases there may be a basis to reverse a moderation action taken (or not taken) by GitHub Staff. To ensure our policies and outcomes are applied evenly, GitHub provides an internal complaint-handling process where users can submit requests for reinstatement or provide additional information to appeal a moderation decision.

What are Appeals and Reinstatements?

Both Appeals and Reinstatements may arise in relation to decisions to disable or limit access to content or an account, including decisions whether or not to:

Remove, disable access to, or restrict visibility of content

Suspend or terminate access to an account

Suspend or terminate access to the service, in whole or in part

Suspend, terminate or otherwise restrict the ability to monetize content

A “Reinstatement” is where a user wishes to regain access to their account or content and is willing to make any necessary changes to address the violation and agrees not to violate our terms going forward.

An “Appeal” is where a user disputes that a violation has occurred and can provide additional information to show that a different decision should have been reached.

How this works

If you seek Reinstatement or wish to Appeal an enforcement action, please fill out our Appeal and Reinstatement form. You may Appeal a moderation decision for up to six months following the decision. GitHub may, in its discretion, refuse to consider any Appeals submitted more than six months after the decision.

GitHub staff will review the information provided in the form to determine whether there is sufficient information to warrant Reinstatement or granting of an Appeal.

Reinstatements

Where a user can agree to abide by our Acceptable Use Policies moving forward and has made the changes necessary to address the violation(s), we may choose to reinstate their account or content depending on the circumstances and severity of the initial violation.

All legitimate Reinstatement requests will be reviewed initially by GitHub staff and will be answered with a decision.

Appeals

Where a user seeks to dispute a decision, they can use the form to explain their basis for disputing the decision and to provide any additional information regarding the alleged violation that they believe should have led to a different decision.

If the information provided demonstrates that a different conclusion should have been reached, we may be able to grant an Appeal. GitHub will reverse or modify its decision when the Appeal contains sufficient grounds for us to determine that (i) our decision to act or not to act was mistaken; (ii) that the content or conduct was not illegal and not incompatible with our Terms; or (iii) that the content or conduct warrants a lesser severity of action than the measure taken.

All decisions on Appeal are made by humans and not by any automated means. If the GitHub Staff reviewer on the Appeal is the same person who made the initial determination and that staff member believes their initial conclusion was correct (and thus would be inclined to deny the Appeal), a different member of GitHub’s staff will independently review the Appeal.

All legitimate Appeals will be answered with a final decision.

Transparency

We track Appeals and Reinstatements in our Transparency Center.

Legal Rights

If you believe that a final decision made on Appeal is still incorrect you may, in certain circumstances, have additional rights to seek review of the decision under your local law. For example, if you are located in the European Union, it might be possible to access an out-of-court dispute settlement process under the Digital Services Act. This process reflects GitHub's commitment to internationally recognized human rights set out in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), privacy, and free expression.