Kodi Foundation

Profile narrative

The Kodi Foundation oversees the development of Kodi, a free and open‑source media player software that enables users to organize and play digital audio, video, and image files from local storage, network shares, and online sources. The application is designed to function as a home theater hub, providing a customizable interface that supports skins, add‑ons, and remote control operation. It is built on a cross‑platform codebase, allowing it to run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and various embedded devices. The foundation coordinates volunteer contributions, manages the official release cycle, and maintains documentation and community support channels.

Kodi’s distinguishing characteristics stem from its open‑source licensing, which invites developers worldwide to inspect, modify, and distribute the code under the GNU General Public License. This model fosters a vibrant ecosystem of third‑party add‑ons that extend functionality to include streaming services, live TV, and game emulation. The foundation’s role extends beyond coding to include community moderation, operation of the official forum and wiki, and stewardship of the project’s trademarks and branding. These attributes position Kodi as a prominent example of community‑driven multimedia software in the consumer electronics space.

In February 2023 the organization disclosed a security incident in which an inactive administrator account on the Kodi forum was compromised, granting attackers access to the administration console and enabling them to export database backups containing public and private forum posts, personal messages, usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords. The breach affected roughly four hundred thousand users, and the stolen data was later offered for sale on a hacking forum. In response, the foundation took the affected systems offline, migrated to updated software with stronger security controls, reset all user passwords, notified law‑enforcement authorities, and shared the exposed email addresses with a public disclosure service to alert impacted individuals. The incident prompted a full rebuild of the forum and wiki infrastructure and led to plans for regular penetration testing to improve future defenses.

The Kodi Foundation is incorporated as a non‑profit entity with its headquarters located in the United States of America. It operates independently without a parent company or subsidiaries, relying on donations, sponsorships, and volunteer effort to sustain its activities. The foundation’s governance model emphasizes transparency and community involvement, with decisions about the software’s direction made through public discussion and consensus among contributors. As the steward of the Kodi project, it continues to provide the platform’s core releases while maintaining the associated web properties and support resources.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.