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bassomitron@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• timewarp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  You’d think so, but the answer is no. They’ve employed companies like Microsoft, Oracle, etc. to write up the security handbooks that says proprietary software is more secure. Heck, even electronic voting systems in the US is closed-source.

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  • Geometrinen_Gepardi@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Heck, even electronic voting systems in the US is closed-source.

    How can elections even be trusted to be fair in that case?

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    • timewarp@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Simply, you can’t. I’m personally all for an open source alternative for electronic voting. I can bank online, but not vote online. I’d trust an open source online voting platform more than I’d trust poll workers to not skew some votes. I’d also like to be able to track my vote and ensure it was cast for the person I voted for.

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      • iknowitwheniseeit@lemmynsfw.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Banking is completely different from voting from a security point of view. None of the parties in a bank transaction are anonymous, and there are numerous ways to retry or roll back a transaction. Computerized voting is more like crypto currency. 😝

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      • Fedizen@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        you can’t have secret ballot and have a secure, auditible online vote.

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      • uis@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Biggest vulnreability for online voting stands behind voter

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    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I think we’re well past the open/closed discussion when hackers have repeatedly shown how easy it is to compromise the voting machines.

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    • uis@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      By claiming that everyone who do not trust is communist trumpist

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• catloaf@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Generally, works of the US government are public domain.

  However, most apps are produced on contract with development companies, and I expect the contract specifies that the rights remain with the developer.

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  • cybersandwich@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The explicitly do not, at least with every US federal contract I’ve ever seen. The govt owns the code that is written full stop.

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    • bamboo@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      As someone who works with and knows several military contractors, I’ve never heard of the US taking ownership of any code written. In fact, most of what they’re paying for is for companies to extend software they’ve already written to better fit the governments use case, such that even if the government owned the new improvements, that code wouldn’t function without the base application that pre-dates a government contract.

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      • cybersandwich@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        It depends on the software and situation of course, but if you are paying a contractor to develop/write a solution for you aka “government built” then the contractor that writes the code owns 0 of that code. It’s as if it was written by Uncle Sam himself.

        Now, if the government buys software (licenses), the companies will retain ownership of their code. So if Uncle Sam bought Service Now licenses, the US doesn’t “own” service now. If service now extended capability to support the govt, the US still doesn’t own the license or that code in most cases.

        Sometimes the government will even pay for a company to extend its software and that company can then sell that feature elsewhere. The government doesn’t get any benefit beyond the capability they paid for–ie they don’t own that code.

        But like it said, if it’s a development contract and the contractors build an app for the government, all of the contracts I’ve ever seen, have Uncle Sam owning it all. The govt could open source it if they wanted and the contractor would have no say.

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• satanmat@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Short version: no

  Long version: I’m pretty sure; no. I believe that; tools used like apps would not be subject to FOIA.

  I deal with public records requests at work… email, documents etc. sure thing, but I’m pretty sure that the AG would laugh at you requesting the source code for apps we use.

  —- I could only wish that we were mandated to use only open source software

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