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Open Source, Not Vendor Lock-in: Why India Must Stand by FOSS
Proprietary software, on the other hand, operates on security by obscurity, users must trust the vendor blindly, without knowing what’s running under the hood. If a flaw exists, only the vendor can detect, admit, and patch it, often on their own timeline. History is filled with examples of major data breaches in closed- source systems that went undetected for months or even years.
Ironically, by abandoning open systems in the name of “security,” we may actually be making our digital infrastructure less secure.
Kerala’s Example: The Power of Open Source
Kerala stands as a living example of how FOSS can be effectively integrated into public systems. From the early 2000s, Kerala became the first Indian state to mandate the use of open- source software in its schools through the IT@School (now KITE) initiative.
This transformation did not happen by accident. It was the vision and political will of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) governments, especially under E K Nayanar and later V S Achuthanandan, that laid the foundation for this movement.