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The Netherlands just blocked a US company from buying the app Dutch citizens use for everything (nos.nl)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 54 points 5 months ago (6 children)

Since the article is in Dutch, let me try to provide a little extra context:

  1. It's not actually the company that runs DigiD, that's Logius, who is part of the ministry of the interior.
  2. It's about the cloud-hosting company that DigiD runs on. The DigiD code was open sourced, though it looks like the GitHub repository is now archived (https://github.com/MinBZK/woo-besluit-broncode-digid-app)
  3. It really is used for everything related to authentication with government services. Doing your taxes, scheduling an appointment with the city government for , scheduling a doctors appointment, getting a prescription refilled, on and on.
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  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

    One wonders why the application "used for everything related to authentication with government services" runs on a Private Sector cloud.

    I mean, it's not as if a Digital Cloud is any more than a bunch of servers running somewhere with a direct connection to the Internet.

    Then again, this is The Netherlands, which is has been ruled by a very Neoliberal right-wing party (in various coalitions) for over a decade so it makes sense that the government there would have even essential software for interacting with Public Services be operated by the Private Sector.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago

    One wonders why the application “used for everything related to authentication with government services” runs on a Private Sector cloud.

    I read (no citation here, I forget where I saw this now) a while back somebody involved saying that their procurement policies require they accept the lowest bid tended, as long as its legally submitted and not obviously a scam.

    So yes, typical neo-liberal right-wing mentality is very much at fault I suspect.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Scheduling a doctor's appointment and getting a prescription refilled? I've never used my DigiD for that, nor do I think it's even an option here; it's pretty much all telephone. And as for the source code, only part of the source code was published (as a result of 'Wet Open Overheid verzoek': a request for transparency); and I believe they're migrating from Github to code.overheid.nl.

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