The changing nature of governmental policies around open source

The Octoverse 2022 report highlights the increasing attention open source software (OSS) is receiving from governments and policymakers, driven by its critical role in security, autonomy, competitiveness, and transparency. Governments are adopting OSS to enhance transparency, efficiency, and modernize systems, and are focusing on securing the OSS supply chain due to vulnerabilities in popular dependencies. This interest has led to initiatives like the European Union Cyber Resilience Act and the German Sovereign Tech Fund, aimed at securing digital infrastructure. There is a trend of establishing Open Source Programs Offices (OSPOs) within government organizations to better manage and invest in OSS. The report underscores the need for more research to document the economic and social benefits of OSS, as seen in the European Commission's study showing its significant economic contribution. As governments recognize their role in the global open source ecosystem, the report anticipates further policy development and research to support OSS innovation and security.