After a successful pilot project, the federal state Schleswig-Holstein of northern Germany decided to leave Microsoft Windows and Office to install Linux and LibreOffice (and other free software open source) on the 30.000 computers used in local government.
As he says Document Foundation:
“Independent, sustainable, safe: Schleswig-Holstein will be a digital pioneer region and the first German state to introduce a digitally dominant IT workplace in its state administration.
With Cabinet's decision to introduce open source software LibreOffice as a standard Office solution across the board, the government has given the green light for the first step towards full digital dominance in the state, with further steps to follow."
But why did they make such a move?
“We have no influence on the operating procedures of such [proprietary] solutions and the handling of data, including possible data outflow to third countries. As a state, we have a great responsibility to our citizens and companies to ensure that their data is kept safe with us, and we must ensure that we are always in control of the IT solutions we use and that we can act independently as a state."
This follows from the finding by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) that the use of Microsoft 365 by European Committee violates data protection law.
