Why the petition?
Anerkennung von Open-Source-Arbeit als Ehrenamt in Deutschland
Open-source software now forms the foundation of large parts of the digital infrastructure – in public administration, business, research and everyday life. Even the German government’s current coalition agreement identifies open-source software as a fundamental building block for achieving digital sovereignty.
Nevertheless, the work carried out by thousands of volunteers in this field is not recognised as voluntary work under German tax and funding law. This imbalance between social significance and legal status must be rectified.
As an active contributor to open-source projects, I therefore call for open-source work to be recognised as voluntary work for the common good – on a par with voluntary work for community organisations, youth work or emergency services.
Boris Hinzer Long-standing open-source contributor, CEO of web-vision
What exactly is open-source software?
People work together on software whose source code is freely available to everyone. This source code (i.e. the ‘blueprint’ of a programme) is public.
Anyone is free to view, modify, improve and share it.
How does open-source work?
Imagine a programme is like a collaborative project:
- One person starts the project and makes the source code publicly available.
- Other people from all over the world can then find and fix bugs.
- Anyone can suggest improvements or even add features themselves.
Often, this isn’t done by companies, but by private individuals. These people do it voluntarily as a hobby alongside their day jobs.
Latest news and media coverage
The following media outlets have reported recently on the petition. I would like to express my sincere thanks to them:
- Das Informatik-Magazin Frühjahr 2026: “Commit für das Gemeinwohl”
- eGovernment-Podcast.com by podcastfunkhaus: “Monatsschau 02/26"
- Cashy's Blog: “Open-Source-Arbeit als Ehrenamt: Petition will rechtliche Anerkennung”
- Linuxnews: “Petition: Open-Source-Arbeit als Ehrenamt anerkennen”
- Heise: “Open-Source-Entwickler fordern Gleichstellung mit Vereinsarbeit”
- Reddit: “Open-Source-Entwickler fordern Gleichstellung mit Vereinsarbeit”
- ComputerBase: “Petition: Open-Source-Arbeit soll als Ehrenamt anerkannt werden”
- Winfuture “Open-Source-Arbeit stärken: Petition fordert Anerkennung als Ehrenamt”
- Reddit Englisch “Petition: Open-source work should count as volunteer activity”
- Mikrocontroller.net “Petition: Arbeit im Open Source Bereich soll Ehrenamt werden”
- Netzpolitik.org: “Ticker-News von OpenPetition vom 28. 11. 2025”
- Radio Interview Deutschlandfunk Kultur Sendung Breitband am Minute 17:45
- Engineering Kiosk Podcast #237 “Open-Source-Arbeit als Ehrenamt mit Boris Hinzer”
- YouTube Livestream with NeverCodeAlone “Anerkennung von Open-Source-Arbeit als Ehrenamt in Deutschland - Livestream”
- TYPO3 Association “Recognizing Open-Source Work as Volunteering in Germany”
- Linuxnews “Open-Source-Petition benötigt eure Hilfe”
- BR24 “Petition fordert: Open-Source-Arbeit soll als Ehrenamt gelten”
- wechange Interview “Open Source lebt nicht vom Read-only"
Who is supporting the petition?
Here you will find a selection of well-known organisations and open-source projects that support the petition.
Media coverage
Videos
Video from OpenPetition: Open source and petitions explained simply
16 January 2026
Whether you’re a volunteer firefighter, a coach at a sports club or someone who helps out at an animal shelter, all of these are considered voluntary work in Germany, with benefits such as expense allowances, insurance cover and official recognition by the state.
But there is one important area that relies on voluntary work yet is not
recognised as voluntary work: open-source projects. These are programmes and digital tools whose source code is freely accessible. To everyone.
Find out more about open source and why the petition is important.
Live stream with NeverCodeAlone: Open source as a voluntary activity
16 December 2025
Last Tuesday, I had the chance to speak with Roland Golla from NeverCodeAlone in a YouTube livestream about #OpenSource software, the work of the many #volunteers behind it, and my #petition for the recognition of open-source involvement as #volunteer work.
Among other things, we discussed the following topics:
- What does #OpenSource actually mean – and why do so many people not know what lies behind it?
- #Volunteering: Why does voluntary work need recognition?
- What motivates people to volunteer in open-source projects?
- What added value do the public, businesses and the state gain from using open source?
- And why does vendor lock-in have nothing to do with the vendor folder?
Of course, we also talked about #TYPO3, my personal motivation – and how you (yes, you!) can actively support it.
We covered all these topics in just under 30 minutes.
I’d love to hear your feedback, see your likes and have you share the video!
Audio / Podcasts
Petition open for signatures – 🚀 Get involved: Sign 2 – to reach 30,000!
19.02.2026
Please share the petition – including with people who may not be so tech-savvy.
If every signatory can recruit just two more people, together we will reach the important milestone of 30,000 signatures.
🤝 Call for action: Looking for advocates
I welcome ANY form of support.
- Do you have contacts with:
- Media representatives
- Teachers or professors
- Influencers or streamers
- People from politics, associations, companies or other organisations
Then please share the petition or put me in touch with them.
You can find me on Mastodon, Bluesky and LinkedIn.
You can also:
- write a blog or social media post
- publish an open letter with your organisation
- print out the petition PDF with the QR code and display it at your workplace or university
Every single action helps.
Let’s break the 10,000 mark together – and then the 30,000.
Update on the petition: 5,000 signatures reached!
4 December 2025 News: Media, Radio, Countries, Languages, What else?
Dear supporters,
dear friends, dear open-source community,
Thanks to you, we have reached our first major milestone: after just 1.5 weeks, we have already collected over 5,000 signatures.
Thank you so much for your fantastic support, the many overwhelmingly positive comments on the petition, and to the numerous people who have contacted and supported me in the meantime. This shows me just how important this issue is to so many people.
What happened so far?
Brief presentation at the TYPO3 conference: At T3CON last week, I was able to give a spontaneous 5-minute presentation on the petition to the audience…
Media coverage:
The petition has already been picked up by several major online media outlets, including Heise, ComputerBase and WinFuture, as well as in discussions on Reddit and…
Link: To the petition
Petition in other countries and languages
The petition is now also available in English (thanks to Hennig Lammert for the translation) and is currently being translated into Spanish. The…
Link: Petition in Denmark
Upcoming interview on Deutschlandfunk Kultur
On Friday, a recording will take place for the programme “Breitband” on Deutschlandfunk Kultur. It will be broadcast on Saturday from 1.05 pm,…
Link: To the programme
Miscellaneous & background work
Sending emails to various media outlets, news sites, democratic parties, as well as well-known open-source figures and projects. Lots of good…
Please help spread the word about the petition
Every additional voice increases visibility and political pressure.
Here are a few ideas on how you can help:
- Download the PDF, print it out and put it up – e.g. at sports clubs, supermarkets, cafés, schools, universities, etc.
- If you’re in the media, a thought leader or an influencer (or know anyone who is): please feel free to post and/or share on LinkedIn, Bluesky or Mastodon – I’m happy to discuss ideas, respond to comments, etc.
- Start discussions about open-source work – at your workplace, with your family, at university, school, or with friends and in clubs. Many people out there have no idea what it is or where open-source software is used.