Now that’s what we’re talking about.
On April 6th, 2012 the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFBP) rolled out their brand new Source Code Policy, setting the direction for their agency to consume and contribute to open source software.
We use open-source software, and we do so because it helps us fulfill our mission.
When we build our own software or contract with a third party to build it for us, we will share the code with the public at no charge.
As a brand new agency, CFBP is in the enviable position of creating their technology road map on a while sheet of paper. No legacy systems, no legacy contracts, no legacy skill sets; not your frequent scenario in the federal government. Unburdened by existing IT operations and entrenched processes based on outdated policies they were free to envision an approach that reflects and supports their public trust mission.
They may have had the new guy advantage, but they’ve done some great work that makes it easier for other agencies to model after. CFPB has crafted a clear, concise policy for its use. They follow in the footsteps of the Department of Defense, who began producing and refining policy for their agency personnel in this area a number of years ago. CFPB hopes other agencies will find the policy useful as a reference model (so do we!) and to that end have also shared it on GitHub Gist.
You can read the full story and access a copy of the policy on the agency web site.
