Decidim has been added to the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) Registry. The DPGA aims to promote digital public goods and create a fairer world. Recognition as a digital public good enhances the visibility and support for open projects that can address global challenges. To qualify as a digital public good, projects must meet the DPGA Standard, ensuring they embody open-source principles.
These standards are a set of specifications and guidelines designed to find consensus about how to define a digital public good. A complement to the Principles for Digital Government, the DPGA Standards are themselves open and a collaborative project. So far, 9 indicators define the relevance of projects to the concept of a Digital Public Good. First and foremost is the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals, 17 objectives adopted by United Nations member countries aiming to develop wider peace and prosperity.
These standards also require an open-source license, clear ownership, independence, documentation, anonymous data extraction, legal and privacy compliance, security, and a No Harm design.
The project aligns with the idea of the commons, where certain assets should benefit all and be owned and maintained by the people. The software's functionalities can be customized for various use cases, and it has been translated into 55 languages by volunteers worldwide. The Barcelona government has entrusted the Decidim Free Software Association with the software's care, giving it autonomy through community governance. Over the years, Decidim has evolved into a comprehensive open-source project, with over 450 instances in 30 countries and a thriving community of contributors.
"For us, being considered as a digital public good means a recognition of Decidim's public-community model. A reference model when thinking about how to develop FLOSS technologies from the public sector and with a community governance model. In this way, we show that yes, there is an alternative, that there are other ways of making technology and that the battle for a free internet is still open.
Let's hope that this recognition will help our model to be replicated and extended globally. Making the Decidim model a standard that will become a common practice when it comes to implementing digital public policies.
It is vitally important that public administrations encourage the creation of DPGs, as they are fundamental for building technological sovereignty. Let's hope that European institutions will support this type of projects and work with the Open Source community to ensure their sustainability."
Nil Homedes, President of the Decidim Free Software Association.