UK gov tells public sector to keep publishing code, despite Mythos-type AI fears

"Code produced with public money should be open and reusable by default, with limited, justified exceptions."

May 18, 2026 8:55 AM 2 min read

UK gov tells public sector to keep publishing code, despite Mythos-type AI fears — Image credit: https://unsplash.com/@jhonkasalo

The UK’s public sector should keep its code open source by default, the government has urged, after the NHS reportedly yanked public repos.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) said openness should “remain the default posture” after fielding concerns from tech leaders in the civil service, it said in guidance published May 14.

It said “code produced with public money should be open and reusable by default, with limited, justified exceptions” and described the “advantage” gained by attackers viewing code as “usually incremental relative to underlying presence of weaknesses.”

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Noah Bovenizer

Noah Bovenizer is a senior reporter with The Stack. He previously covered the transportation sector for Global Data. He has a first class degree in journalism and has also worked as a newsreader for Gaydio.