Open Source software can be a threat or an opportunity. It depends on who you ask. For example, Google was not very happy with the rapid development of open source artificial intelligence (AI) models. The Swiss government, for its part, is encouraging Open Source alternativesAlthough it has recently taken a major step in its mission: pushing public administration to embrace open source.

ZDNET explains that the “Federal Law on the Use of Electronic Media in the Performance of State Functions” (EMBAG) now requires the country’s federal institutions to use open source software developed by themselves or for them by third parties. The regulations also stipulate that software source code be released under an open license “as long as it does not exclude or restrict third-party rights or security reasons.”

Switzerland and the open software approach

The institutions covered by the legislation will not only be required to update their systems, but will also be required to publicly disclose non-personal, non-security-sensitive administrative data. Under this dynamic, the Swedes may consult “public interest informationIt concerns more than 140 public and private organizations through a special portal called Open Data, which does not require registration to access its content.

The portal provides data divided into sections such as population and society, education, culture and sports, health, environment, economy and finance or energy. For example, with a few clicks it is possible to reach areas with fiber optic internet service or a list of charging stations for electric cars. The data is available in different formats such as the well-known JSON or XML.

The now mandatory adoption of open source software and the publication of government administrative data aims to:Increase transparency“But those initiatives have also faced opposition. A proprietary software company called Weblaw opposed it because such an expansion would likely hurt some of its business with the government.

Each alternative has its own advantages and disadvantages. Open source software, which comes with different licenses, allows anyone to analyze, modify, and distribute it. Therefore, it is associated with greater trust. Closed source software, on the other hand, keeps the source code secret from users so that only authorized developers can access it, and is usually distributed with very restrictive licenses.

Pictures | Ari Dinar | Free pic

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