If my tax $ goes to it, it should have source available (excepting natsec). it would be nice to get some value out of it. If it's well written, I could learn how a large scale project works. If not, I can have something to petition and voice my concerns about, inform about vulns, etc.
You exempt national security, and suddenly everything is national security. Look at the FISA “courts”.
Not arguing against it. State secrets are needed in some instances. Just pointing out that if you exempt something, there’ll be people who’ll construe as much as they can under than exemption. Is there any solution to that?
I suppose a congressional committee separate from the intelligence community that can (hopefully) objectively decide whether something will directly damage our national security.
I agree though, it's a tough problem I haven't fully thought through. I can see an argument saying "well if a vulnerability was found and a violent felon/terrorist was released early, that would be _bad!_". Hell, a DMV appointment software could have a vulnerability allowing a drivers license to someone who then commits a terrorist act. I wouldn't put that past a politician to claim under "national security". Of course, as mentioned below, these vulnerabilities would probably be limited in scope if the devices are airgapped (which it better be!). But something tells me they likely aren't all airgapped.
But I genuinely hope that if such a thing were to happen, there would be more good eyes on it than bad ones. Personally I'd look at whatever was in my preferred language. Granted, it would be to learn from it, not to find vulnerabilities, but something tells me there are vulnerabilities in gov't systems even I know are bad.
At some point you need to hold people accountable when they defy the intent of the law.
That something must be kept secret does not mean the rationale for why it must be kept secret must also be. For example you don't need to tell me any secrets about how nuclear weapons are designed to convince me that nuclear weapon design software should not be open source. Even in cases where the devil is in the details and the discussion of whether something should be secret requires an understanding of those secrets, independent auditors with the proper qualifications and clearances can be appointed to validate the need for secrecy, and either they or the officials who appointed them can be publicly scrutinized.
Every system complicated enough to require decision making is open to potential abuse by the decision makers. The entire purpose of democratically elected leaders is to make sure those who would commit such abuses don't have the opportunity to do so for very long. If no one suffers any consequences for skirting a law, why even have laws to begin with?
