The Eclipse Foundation has launched the Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group (ORC WG) to help the open source community navigate and adhere to evolving global regulations. The group aims to support developers, enterprises, industries, and open source foundations in meeting regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. The creation of the ORC WG comes as governments worldwide enact new regulations to safeguard privacy, security, and accessibility in the increasingly regulated software supply chain.
Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, stated, “The Open Regulatory Compliance Working Group was created to bridge the gap between regulatory authorities and the open source ecosystem, ensuring organizations and developers can leverage open source technologies while remaining compliant with evolving global regulations.”
The group’s immediate focus will be the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which covers products or software with a digital component and requires the introduction of mandatory cybersecurity requirements. The ORC WG will work to formalize industry best practices and offer resources to help organizations comply with the CRA. The working group has already secured formal liaison status with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC).
open source compliance group formed
It is actively pursuing working relationships with other European and National Standards Organizations to expand its contribution to regulatory standards. Additionally, the group is offering a series of webinars with European Commission staff to inform the open source community about the EU’s legislative process.
It is also developing a central resource to house all relevant CRA-related content, including webinars, glossaries, flowcharts, and FAQs. The ORC WG has received support from a broad range of open source organizations and private companies. Participant organizations at the time of the launch include the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), Blender Foundation, Robert Bosch GmbH, CodeDay, The Document Foundation, FreeBSD Foundation, iJUG, Lunatech, Matrix.org Foundation, Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH, Nokia, NLnet Labs, Obeo, Open Elements, OpenForum Europe, OpenInfra Foundation, Open Source Initiative (OSI), Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF), OWASP, Payara Services, The PHP Foundation, Python Software Foundation, Rust Foundation, SCANOSS, Siemens, and Software Heritage.
The formation of this working group represents a significant step toward ensuring that open source technologies can continue to thrive in a regulated environment, promoting innovation while complying with necessary regulations.
Feeling stuck in self-doubt?
Stop trying to fix yourself and start embracing who you are. Join the free 7-day self-discovery challenge and learn how to transform negative emotions into personal growth.
