Healthcare.gov pirates GPL'd code

[ringpriest]

Obama Administration Uses Pirated Code on Healthcare.gov

Healthcare.gov is using the open source software DataTables, but they've removed all references to the authors or the original GPL & BSD licenses. Yet another example of how it's ignored when the U.S. government (or those allied with it) breaks the law, but individuals, particularly those who've done something the government disapproves of, are persecuted.

UPDATED
Other open source projects used by the ACA website appear to be properly attributed, making it quite likely that the failure to properly include licensing for DataTables is simply an oversight, rather than any sort of malicious action or "statement" to the open source community.

While the Obama Administration has a far from sterling record on information freedom, this incident is extremely minor. It has no relevance to the merits of the Affordable Care Act. Supporters of the Tea Party appear to be attempting to turn a minor open-source mole-hill into a scandalous mountain completely out of proportion to the original issue.

[Garnier Fructis]

Well there goes that intern's job.

[Masark]

There is a means for infringement claims against the federal government.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/1498

[Tastyfish]

Skeptical only because disinformation is rampent when it comes to ACA.

[Deleted]

Obama Administration Uses Pirated Code on Healthcare.gov

Healthcare.gov is using the open source software DataTables, but they've removed all references to the authors or the original GPL & BSD licenses. Yet another example of how it's ignored when the U.S. government (or those allied with it) breaks the law, but individuals, particularly those who've done something the government disapproves of, are persecuted.

Lol'd. Of course it's all Obamas fault, and his government, cos they are all experts in licensing and coding and knew this was happening!

Try this for size: company hired to make the website, they used pirated code, the blame lies with them and them only. You really think Obama sits at home looking at his websites source code? Get a grip.

[Kujako]

Skeptical only because disinformation is rampent when it comes to ACA.

Not much to be skeptical about. You can look at the javascript file on the healthcare.gov site and see that it is identical to the one on github minus the copyright information.

github
healthcare.gov

What this most likely is, is a case of a private contractor taking credit for the work. I doubt this is under direction of Obama or anyone in his "administration" as is being claimed. There simply is no reason for them to do this unless they are trying to get paid for writing the code.

[Endus]

What this most likely is, is a case of a private contractor taking credit for the work. I doubt this is under direction of Obama or anyone in his "administration" as is being claimed. There simply is no reason for them to do this unless they are trying to get paid for writing the code.

Plus, the appropriate response is to apologize to the authors, update the files to re-include that copyright statement, and fire whatever company they outsourced the web development to.

And by "apologize", I mean whoever's in charge of website development on the government side. This isn't the kind of thing any major figure should have to get involved in.

[sizzlinsauce]

Plus, the appropriate response is to apologize to the authors, update the files to re-include that copyright statement, and fire whatever company they outsourced the web development to.

And by "apologize", I mean whoever's in charge of website development on the government side. This isn't the kind of thing any major figure should have to get involved in.

exactly this ^

[Aeluron Lightsong]

The War against the ACA continues.

[rhorle]

And by "apologize", I mean whoever's in charge of website development on the government side. This isn't the kind of thing any major figure should have to get involved in.

The government didnt do any website development. Like most things it was contracted out and the website in question was contracted to CGI Federal (a Montreal based company). http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/655291.pdf lists most of the contractors who worked on the program and what parts.

[Kujako]

I could also see a federal fraud charge against the person responsible. If they charged the government for development they didn't do, bad things should happen to them.

[Endus]

The government didnt do any website development. Like most things it was contracted out and the website in question was contracted to CGI Federal (a Montreal based company). http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/655291.pdf lists most of the contractors who worked on the program and what parts.

Yes, I know this, but there's someone who's in charge of the website project, on the government side. They're the ones who were picking who to contract it out to and so on. I have no idea who it is, my only point is THAT is the person who should apologize to the authors.

This isn't something the top staff in the administration need to deal with, is my point. It's the responsibility of someone whose title is something like "Community Relations Director for the ACA" or some nonsense.

[oxymoronic]

only a liberal would make a stink out of this, oh and a crazy tea party member, wait aren't they all crazy?

[Tierbook]

The War against the ACA continues.

it does that by itself so few people have applied and even fewer have enrolled it will destroy itself

[Skroe]

it does that by itself so few people have applied and even fewer have enrolled it will destroy itself

That's fine. Because the sequel is a Single-Payer system.

[mvaliz]

only a liberal would make a stink out of this, oh and a crazy tea party member, wait aren't they all crazy?

I'd love to hear your moronic logic flow that came to that conclusion...

[Endus]

it does that by itself so few people have applied and even fewer have enrolled it will destroy itself

Yeah, only half a million applicants in the first 20 days, when the prediction was 7 million by the end of the six month enrollment period.

At the rate it's going, it'll exceed expectations.

[chrisberb]

*smashes fist into hand*
Damn you Obama, stealing free open-source software...you will pay for this, you...will..pay!

[Aeluron Lightsong]

it does that by itself so few people have applied and even fewer have enrolled it will destroy itself

No, it doesn't. The only thing that will destroy it is misinformation from the 'enemy'.

[Tierbook]

Yeah, only half a million applicants in the first 20 days, when the prediction was 7 million by the end of the six month enrollment period.

At the rate it's going, it'll exceed expectations.

half a million applied they expect 7million enrolled, and according to the insurance guys, people are having to make up to 7 applications before they can enroll, so the number is closer to 100k in 3 weeks, at this rate they could get as many as 2 million!