Switzerland now requires all government software to be open source

2024-07-31 06:30:00

Switzerland enacted the “Federal Law Regarding the Use of Electronic Media to Carry Out Government Duties“(EMBAG), which requires open source software (OSS) in the public sector to improve transparency, security and efficiency. “This new law all public bodies are required to disclose the source code of the software they have developed or have developed, unless third-party rights or security concerns prevent it,” wrote ZDNet’s Steven Vaughan-Nichols. “This ‘public money, public code’ approach aims for transparency, security and efficiency of the operations of the improving governments”:

Part of the article: This step was not easy to do. It all started in 2011, when the Swiss Federal Supreme Court published its court application, Open Justitia, under the license of OSS. The legal software company Weblaw was not happy about this. There have been political and legal battles for more than a decade. Finally, the EMBAG was passed in 2023. Now, the law not only allows the release of OSS by the Swiss government or its contractors, but also requires that the code be published under an open source license “if the rights” are not a third party or security. – reasons related to this would prevent or restrict it.”

Professor Dr. Matthias Sturmer, director of the Institute for Public Sector Transformation on the Bern University of Applied Sciences , leading the fight for this law. He said that ” a great opportunity for government, the IT industry and society Sturmer believes that everyone will benefit from this regulation as it reduces reliance on public sector vendors, allows businesses to expand their digital business solutions, and potentially lower IT costs and better services for taxpayers. it results.

In addition to requiring OSS, EMBAG also requires disclosure of non-personal and non-security government data as Open Government Data (OGD). The dual approach of “open by default” represents a significant paradigm shift towards greater openness and practical reuse of software and data. It is hoped that the implementation of EMBAG will serve as a model for other countries considering similar measures. Its purpose is to promote digital sovereignty and encourage innovation and collaboration within the public sector. The Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) is in charge of implementing the law, but the organizational and financial aspects of the OSS versions still need to be clarified.