this post was submitted on 21 Sep 2025
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188
What do you think: should all government software be open source? (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 days ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
53 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

OQB @fajre@lemmy.world

I’ve been thinking about transparency and security in the public sector. Do you think all government software and platforms should be open source?

Some countries have already made progress in this area:

  • Estonia: digital government services with open and auditable APIs.
  • United Kingdom: several open source government projects and systems published on GitHub.
  • France and Canada: policies encouraging the use of free and open source software in public agencies.

Possible benefits:

  • Full transparency: anyone can audit the code, ensuring there is no corruption, hidden flaws, or unauthorized data collection.
  • Enhanced security: public reviews help identify vulnerabilities quickly.
  • Cost reduction: less dependency on private vendors and lower spending on proprietary licenses.
  • Flexibility and innovation: public agencies can adapt systems to their needs without relying on external solutions.

Possible challenges:

  • Maintenance and updating of complex systems.
  • Protecting sensitive data without compromising citizen privacy.
  • Political or bureaucratic resistance to opening the code.

Do you think this could be viable in the governments of your countries? How could we start making this a reality globally?

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[–] bacon_pdp@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Yes. Public funds for only public code. Any and arguments involving security are invalid.

Ken Thompson’s nightmare scenario was solved by a couple people who were enjoying their hobby in their free time and not by any of the military programs that have to date spent over $22 Billion and have achieved far less.

[–] stephen@lazysoci.al 10 points 6 days ago

Public funds spent on anything that generates something that could be considered “intellectual property” should be public domain. Beyond software my first thought is pharmaceutical and general medical research.

[–] Danitos@reddthat.com 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Ken Thompson’s nightmare scenario was solved by a couple people who were enjoying their hobby in their free time

Could you elaborate further, please? I didn't found anything about this story