[Linux-aus] Interview with Mark Lloyd from ACS on compulsory accreditation

[Janet Hawtin]

Brenda Aynsley wrote:

> There isnt any conspiracy in ACS against FOSS its just not that visible 
> to members.  This will change over time as we know.

If ACS proposes to government projects to represent the IT industry as a peak 
body and aims to accredit across the sector then I would say that running that 
process effectively in camera or without proactive engagement with the industry 
as a whole is not a neutral act. It is certainly not the kind of inclusive and 
ethical behaviour one would be looking for in a group offering to improve 
overall ethics and commitment to the public interest across the sector.

Accreditation is only one model for developing trust and mitigating risk.

Kim has a saying
"Its not that I don't trust you, its that I don't want to have to."
For me that is the crux of the issue regarding accreditation in comparison to 
strategies involving best practice and access to source.
Accreditation is just a badge saying trust me.

There are strategies available which provide transparency and which help to
integrate good practice in the work at hand. These approaches mean you can be 
inclusive and work to a quality, rather than excluding some people and blindly 
trusting others.

Given that ACS folks obviously believe that accreditation is their chosen 
option, it might be a good time to think about whether processes with regard to 
representing the sector demonstrate the kind of commitment to public interest 
outside their own interests which would lead people to think that the 'trust me' 
badge had currency.

Janet