An open letter asking NHS England to keep its code open
NHS England is reversing its commitment to open-source code development, contradicting UK government principles that publicly-funded software should be publicly available, a decision 74+ technology leaders are formally opposing. Open-source development, while requiring more rigorous security and quality processes, provides superior long-term security through community scrutiny and vulnerability management compared to security-through-obscurity approaches. This policy reversal threatens organizational transparency, vendor lock-in risks, and the ability to leverage public sector talent and innovation—establishing a concerning precedent for government IT strategy.
Hacker News3 min read
NHS England is reversing its commitment to open-source code development, contradicting UK government principles that publicly-funded software should be publicly available, a decision 74+ technology leaders are formally opposing. Open-source development, while requiring more rigorous security and quality processes, provides superior long-term security through community scrutiny and vulnerability management compared to security-through-obscurity approaches. This policy reversal threatens organizational transparency, vendor lock-in risks, and the ability to leverage public sector talent and innovation—establishing a concerning precedent for government IT strategy.