Drupal: A Digital Public Good for a Better Digital Future

While it's been over 2 years since Drupal officially achieved recognition as a Digital Public Good (DPG) by the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) on April 25, 2023, its significance for our community and the broader digital landscape remains as vital as ever. This milestone is not just a feather in our cap; it's a powerful affirmation of Drupal's core values and its profound potential to drive positive change globally.

For those immersed in the world of open source, the benefits of collaborative, transparent software development are self-evident. However, the ties between open source projects like Drupal and DPGs are not always widely understood.

What are Digital Public Goods? DPGs are open-source software, open data, open AI models, open standards, and open content that adhere to privacy and other applicable laws and best practices, do no harm, and help attain  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These 17 global goals, set by the United Nations, address critical challenges like public health, education, and climate action.

In essence, DPGs are digital solutions freely available to all, designed to solve the world's most pressing problems. They are built on principles of openness, security, and relevance to global development needs, fostering trust and enabling widespread adoption.

Drupal: A Natural Fit for the DPG Mandate

Drupal's journey to DPG recognition is a testament to its inherent alignment with these principles. As a robust, flexible, and secure open-source content management system, Drupal has always embodied many of the characteristics of a DPG:

• Open Source & Community-Driven: Drupal's very foundation is built on a global, collaborative community that contributes to its development, maintenance, and continuous improvement. In fact, the application for Drupal to be recognized as a DPG itself began as a community conversation, reflecting its transparent and collective ownership model, as discussed in Drupal.org's governance issues.
• Flexibility & Scalability: From small community sites to large-scale government platforms, Drupal's adaptability allows it to serve diverse needs, making it a powerful tool.
• Security & Privacy: The Drupal community's rigorous focus on security and privacy best practices ensures that platforms built with Drupal can handle sensitive data and critical public services with confidence. This fosters the "digital trust" essential for public sector adoption.
• Accessibility & Sustainability: Our commitment to accessibility and sustainability ensures that digital services are inclusive for all users, while ongoing efforts in sustainability reflect a dedication to environmentally conscious development.

Drupal's open nature empowers communities and enables digital trust, making it an ideal choice for governments and nonprofits seeking to deliver high-quality, citizen-centric services.

Empowering Global Impact: Beyond the Badge

Drupal's DPG status is more than just a badge; it's an invitation and a responsibility. It elevates Drupal's profile as a trusted solution for governments. This recognition can:

• Boost Adoption: Encourage more public sector entities and non-profits to choose Drupal, knowing it meets international standards for openness, security, and positive impact.
• Foster Collaboration: Facilitate partnerships with other DPGs, creating a more interconnected ecosystem of digital solutions.
• Promote Best Practices: Reinforce the importance of good open practices, robust documentation, strong privacy safeguards, and adherence to digital development best practices across all Drupal projects, especially those serving the public good.

DKAN: A Drupal-Powered DPG

One strong example of Drupal's potential in this space is DKAN. Built on Drupal and maintained by CivicActions (a company that has been in the Drupal space for over 20 years), DKAN is an open-source data portal platform that itself has been recognized as a DPG. 

DKAN demonstrates how Drupal can serve as the foundational open data platform that enables governments and organizations worldwide to publish and share open data more effectively, contributing directly to transparency and accountability goals.

The Path Forward: Our Collective Responsibility

For the Drupal community, this recognition is a call to action. It's an opportunity to broaden the adoption of the good open practices we champion every day. By continuing to prioritize excellent documentation, robust privacy features, and adherence to the highest standards of digital development, we can collectively ensure Drupal continues to be a leading force in building a more equitable, sustainable, and digitally empowered world.

Let's leverage this DPG status to further our impact, connect with new partners, and continue building the digital infrastructure that serves the public — and the greater good.