Post #2927963

2026-05-28 16:42 UTC

It's good that the government blocked this merger, but it's kinda horrifying to hear that the backend for an absolutely critical bit of government infrastructure like DigID is being provided by a private corporation. 😬 https://www.techspot.com/news/112552-netherlands-blocked-us-company-buying-app-dutch-citizens.html

Replies (4)

@LonM@social.vivaldi.net 2026-05-28 16:53

@notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com I'm glad to hear someone in the netherlands is thinking right. The british government is pushing to build a digid app. I fully expect it will end up getting outsourced > privatised > sold off. Except unlike what happened here, a sale won't get blocked, because our governments are perennially full of private sector cronies who actively want stuff like this to happen.

Open ##4017997
@VATVSLPR@c.im 2026-05-28 16:54

@notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com Subcontracting essential government services was never a good idea, and it gets worse as we allow businesses to be ever more rapacious. There may be times when subcontracting makes sense, but it should be limited. In a case like this, maybe the company could build the system but transfer enough knowledge that the government could run and maintain it in-house after it's built.

Open ##4017999
@axel@hsnl.social 2026-05-28 17:10

@notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com This fits in the “government as a corporation” thinking of the past decades, combined with the “not our core-business” thinking of our MBA-like ministers. Hopefully that’ll change soon to an actual ‘governing’ body, but I don’t get my hopes up.

Open ##4018003
@wsslmn@mastodon.nl 2026-05-28 17:27

@notjustbikes@social.notjustbikes.com because money is our god, free markets our relgion, and (large) companies our churches. Basically we believe that companies do everything better and cheaper then our government.

Open ##4018007