Petition to formally recognize open source work as civic service in Germany
13 days ago
- #Digital-Sovereignty
- #Open-Source
- #Volunteer-Work
- Open-Source-Software is a fundamental part of digital infrastructure in administration, business, research, and daily life.
- Despite its societal importance, voluntary Open-Source contributions are not recognized as honorary work in Germany, lacking tax and funding benefits.
- The petition calls for Open-Source work to be recognized as a community-oriented honorary activity, similar to club work or rescue services.
- Open-Source projects contribute significantly to public welfare by providing free, transparent, and verifiable software.
- Most Open-Source contributions are unpaid, voluntary efforts, often done in developers' free time.
- There is a societal dependence on Open-Source without corresponding recognition, leading to an unbalanced responsibility on volunteers.
- Legal recognition as honorary work would provide tax exemptions, liability protections, and easier nonprofit classification for Open-Source projects.
- Germany lags behind other countries that already offer tax benefits and institutional support for Open-Source contributions.
- Recognizing Open-Source as honorary work would be a cost-efficient step toward Germany's digital sovereignty.