Max Mehl (Public code)

Open Source, meet Digital Public Goods

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I was invited to join the Digital Impact Alliance’s “Pulse on the Principles” podcast for a conversation about the intersection of Open Source software and Digital Public Goods. Alongside Lucy Harris from the Digital Public Goods Alliance and Bernhard Kowatsch from the World Food Program Innovation Accelerator, we explored how Open Source principles can unlock digital cooperation and help achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As lead of FSFE’s “Public Money, Public Code” initiative, I shared perspectives on how Free Software thinking applies to the digital public goods space.

The episode built on the previous discussion about Open Source licenses and digital cooperation, diving deeper into practical applications. We discussed how the “open principle” can be applied to innovation ideas, what clear definitions and checklists exist for better achieving SDGs through public goods, and how this concept both helps and challenges innovation startups. The conversation highlighted the importance of Open Source not just as a development model, but as a foundational approach for creating truly public digital infrastructure.

You can listen to the full 77-minute episode on Apple Podcasts.

Zu Gast beim GNU/Linux-Podcast #6 - Android und Public Money, Public Code

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Ich war als Gast bei der sechsten Ausgabe des GnuLinuxNews-Podcasts zu Gast, wo wir über verschiedene Themen aus der Welt von Free and Open Source Software sprachen. Der GnuLinuxNews-Podcast richtet sich an die deutschsprachige Linux- und Freie-Software-Community und behandelt aktuelle Entwicklungen, Projekte und politische Themen rund um Freie Software. In dieser Ausgabe diskutierten wir insbesondere über Android und dessen Beziehung zu Freier Software sowie über “Public Money, Public Code”.

Ein Schwerpunkt lag auf dem Android-Ökosystem und den Herausforderungen und Chancen für Freie Software in diesem Bereich. Wir sprachen über die Unterschiede zwischen dem AOSP (Android Open Source Project) und den proprietären Google-Diensten, über alternative App-Stores wie F-Droid, und wie Nutzer mehr Kontrolle über ihre Android-Geräte erlangen können. Außerdem beleuchteten wir die “Public Money, Public Code”-Kampagne der FSFE und warum es wichtig ist, dass öffentlich finanzierte Software als Freie Software veröffentlicht wird.

Der Podcast bot eine gute Gelegenheit, diese Themen in einem lockeren, aber informativen Format für ein deutschsprachiges Publikum aufzubereiten und praktische Tipps mit politischen Diskussionen zu verbinden.

Public Code with Free Software: Modernising Public Digital Infrastructure

Sat, 15 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

At BalCCon 2018 in Novi Sad (Serbia), I presented the FSFE’s “Public Money, Public Code” campaign and its vision for modernising public digital infrastructure through Free Software. This was during the early, energetic phase of the campaign when we were building momentum across Europe for the principle that software developed with taxpayer money should be made available as Free Software. BalCCon’s technically sophisticated audience with a focus on IT security was an interesting context to discuss how public code can enhance security, transparency, and local technological capacity.

The talk explained why public administrations’ current approach – paying for proprietary software development and then paying again for licenses to use it, while no one else can benefit from the investment – makes no sense. I outlined how Free Software enables code reuse across municipalities and countries, reduces vendor lock-in, improves security through transparency, and turns software from a cost center into a shared resource. The presentation showcased early successes of public code initiatives and addressed common objections about support, security, and feasibility.

For the BalCCon audience, many of whom work with technology in contexts across the Balkans, the message was particularly relevant. The region faces challenges of limited IT budgets, dependency on foreign vendors, and the need to build local technological capacity – all problems that “Public Money, Public Code” directly addresses. The discussion explored how these principles could be adapted to different political and economic contexts while maintaining their core benefits.

Public Code with Free Software: Modernising Digital Public Infrastructure

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

At DrupalEurope 2018 in Darmstadt, I presented the “Public Money, Public Code” initiative to an audience of Drupal developers, site builders, and digital agencies. This was a particularly relevant venue because Drupal itself is Free Software, and many in the audience work on public sector projects where the principles of Public Code directly apply. The talk connected the FSFE’s campaign to the practical realities of building public digital infrastructure with content management systems like Drupal.

The presentation explained why software developed for public administrations with taxpayer money should be released as Free Software. I outlined the benefits: code reuse across different public bodies, reduced vendor lock-in, improved security through transparency, and the ability to customize solutions to local needs. For the Drupal community, which already embraces Open Source principles, the message resonated strongly – many attendees had experienced first-hand the frustration of proprietary systems or custom Drupal modules that couldn’t be shared because of licensing restrictions.

The discussion explored how Drupal agencies could advocate for Public Code principles in their client relationships, how public administrations could structure procurement to require Free Software, and what role the Drupal community could play in building shared public infrastructure. This talk helped connect the broader political campaign to concrete technical communities already working in the public sector.

Public Money? Public Code! - Modernising Digital Public Infrastructure

Sat, 07 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

At RMLL/Libre Software Meeting 2018 in Strasbourg, I presented the “Public Money, Public Code” campaign to one of Europe’s longest-running Free Software conferences. The RMLL/LSM brings together activists, developers, and public sector stakeholders who have been advocating for Free Software since the late 1990s, making it an ideal audience for discussing how to systematically transform public digital infrastructure. The talk built on decades of Free Software advocacy to argue for a new policy paradigm.

The presentation made the case that when public money pays for software development, the resulting code should be publicly available as Free Software. This isn’t just good principle – it’s good economics and good governance. I showed how current practices lead to wasteful redundancy, with multiple public bodies independently funding development of similar solutions while being unable to share code. The talk outlined concrete policy changes needed at European, national, and municipal levels to make Public Code the default for publicly funded software development.

For the RMLL audience, being strong FOSS advocates, the Public Money, Public Code campaign provided a rallying point and policy framework for their efforts. The discussion explored successful examples of public code initiatives, strategies for changing procurement regulations, and how to build coalitions between technical communities and policy makers to drive systemic change.

Souveränität durch Freie Software (Bundeswehr)

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Bei einem internen Vortrag für die deutsche Bundeswehr sprach ich über digitale Souveränität durch Freie Software. Dieser ungewöhnliche Kontext – eine Präsentation vor militärischem Personal – bot die Möglichkeit, die Bedeutung von Softwarefreiheit aus der Perspektive von IT-Sicherheit, strategischer Unabhängigkeit und operationaler Kontrolle zu beleuchten. Für Organisationen, die mit hochsensiblen Daten arbeiten und nationale Sicherheitsinteressen berücksichtigen müssen, sind die Fragen nach Souveränität und Kontrolle über die eigene IT-Infrastruktur besonders dringend.

Der Vortrag betonte, wie Abhängigkeit von proprietärer Software strategische Risiken schafft: Auslandsabhängigkeit bei kritischer Infrastruktur, mangelnde Möglichkeit zur Überprüfung auf Backdoors oder Schwachstellen, und fehlende Kontrolle über Updates und Funktionsänderungen. Freie Software bietet hingegen die Möglichkeit, Code zu auditieren, Sicherheitslücken selbst zu schließen, und unabhängig von kommerziellen Anbietern langfristige Supportstrukturen aufzubauen. Diese Argumente gelten nicht nur für militärische Organisationen, sondern für alle Bereiche der öffentlichen Verwaltung und kritischen Infrastruktur.

Die Diskussion zeigte, dass das Bewusstsein für diese Themen in der Bundeswehr durchaus vorhanden war, aber oft praktische Hürden – von Procurement-Strukturen bis zu fehlender Expertise – die Umstellung auf Freie Software erschwerten. Der Vortrag half, die strategische Bedeutung dieser Entscheidungen zu unterstreichen und Argumente zu liefern, warum Software-Souveränität eine langfristige Investition in Sicherheit und Unabhängigkeit darstellt.

Keynote: Public Code with Free Software - Modernising Public Digital Infrastructure

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000

I delivered the opening keynote at OW2con 2018 in Paris, presenting the “Public Money, Public Code” vision to a conference focused on Open Source middleware and enterprise solutions. OW2 is a European association fostering Open Source infrastructure software, with strong connections to both industry and public sector organizations. The keynote position reflected the growing recognition that making publicly funded code freely available isn’t just an activist demand – it’s a pragmatic approach to building better public digital infrastructure.

The keynote argued that the current model, where public administrations pay vendors to develop software but then cannot share it with other public bodies, is economically inefficient and technologically counterproductive. I presented the FSFE’s “Public Money, Public Code” campaign as a policy framework to address this: require that code developed with public funds be released as Free Software. The benefits extend beyond cost savings to include improved security (through transparency and auditability), reduced vendor lock-in, and the ability to build on each other’s work rather than repeatedly reinventing similar solutions.

For the OW2 community, which works on exactly the kind of collaborative Open Source development that Public Code envisions at scale, the message resonated strongly. The discussion explored how policy changes could accelerate adoption of Open Source infrastructure, how public procurement could be restructured to favor Free Software, and what role organizations like OW2 could play in providing professional-grade Open Source alternatives to proprietary public sector software.

Public Money, Public Code pushes for governments to switch to open-source software (Sharable)

Wed, 09 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

In an extensive interview with Shareable, I explained the goals of the FSFE’s “Public Money, Public Code” campaign: All publicly funded software should be released under Free Software licenses so governments and citizens can use, study, share and improve it. Addressing technical challenges like proprietary document formats and interoperability, I emphasized:

The more Free Software there is, the easier it gets to create and use it. It’s just a matter of starting that process.

The benefits are manifold: saving time, reducing costs, more collaboration, transparency, interoperability, innovation, and independence from software vendors. On the often-cited security concerns, I explained:

It’s actually better for security if software is transparent and the source code is published, because it’s easier for security experts to see what’s going wrong in the software. Malicious people will figure it out anyway, but more people can review the code. We’ve seen this with Linux. It is stable, secure and transparent, and we don’t see a disadvantage in the fact that it’s Open Source.

I highlighted Barcelona as a role model, spending 70% of its software budget on Open Source and understanding it’s not just about using Free Software, but procuring it in ways that allow regional and smaller vendors to participate.

The full interview with more details on transparency, collaboration and international examples is available on Shareable.