Campaign Blog

Stories, updates, and insights from the Public Code US movement.

Estonia's X-Road open source data exchange layer connecting government databases versus the US patchwork of siloed proprietary systems

May 11, 2026 • 7 min read • By The Public Code US Team

A Country of 1.3 Million People Solved Digital Government. On Open Source. Twenty Years Ago.

Estonia files taxes in five minutes, votes online, and lets citizens see exactly who accessed their records. The secret isn't money or technology. It's a choice about who owns the infrastructure.

A padlock on a government building door labeled: Microsoft Enterprise Agreement — Renew or lose access to Azure

May 4, 2026 • 8 min read • By The Public Code US Team

You're Paying the Vendor Lock-In Tax. Every Single Year.

Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP have turned government software into a permanent subscription. The Netherlands is fighting back. Denmark quit Office 365. America is still writing the checks.

A person standing before a courtroom screen displaying an algorithm score with no explanation — 'RISK: HIGH. REASON: PROPRIETARY.'

April 21, 2026 • 7 min read • By The Public Code US Team

The Code That Decides Your Life Runs on Trade Secrets

Government software denies your benefits, sets your bail, flags your taxes, and scores your immigration case. You can't read it. You can't challenge it. You don't even know what it says about you.

A padlock over the US Capitol dome surrounded by dollar signs representing opaque government contracts

April 3, 2026 • 7 min read • By The Public Code US Team

The $755 Billion Black Box: Why You Can't Know What Deloitte Built With Your Money

Federal agencies spend $755 billion a year on contracts — and more than a trillion dollars in spending can't be traced. Here's the sunlight problem at the heart of government IT.

A graph showing the $8.8 trillion demand-side value of open source software compared to what companies would spend without it

April 3, 2026 • 6 min read • By The Public Code US Team

Open Source Is Worth $8.8 Trillion — And We're Leaving Most of It on the Table

Harvard researchers just put a number on open source software's economic value: $8.8 trillion. The federal government spends over $100 billion a year on IT contracts. The math isn't complicated.

Side-by-side comparison of European open source government savings versus US proprietary software spending

April 3, 2026 • 6 min read • By The Public Code US Team

Germany Is Saving $17 Million a Year by Ditching Microsoft. America Is Still Writing Blank Checks.

Schleswig-Holstein just migrated 30,000 government workers to open source and saved €15 million annually. France built a sovereign digital stack. Munich did it in 2003. What's America waiting for?

Four steps to contact your representative directly

March 27, 2026 • 4 min read • By The Public Code US Team

We Made It Easy to Contact Your Senator or Representative

You shouldn't need a lobbyist to talk to your elected officials. Here's how Public Code US puts direct democracy back in your hands.

The pandemic unemployment duplication problem: states each built the same system from scratch, spending hundreds of millions per state

March 16, 2026 • 5 min read • By The Public Code US Team

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A Country of 1.3 Million People Solved Digital Government. On Open Source. Twenty Years Ago.

Estonia files taxes in five minutes, votes online, and lets citizens see exactly who accessed their records. The secret isn't money or technology. It's a choice about who owns the infrastructure.

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