Pretty much all construction uses materials which follow a specification. The least we could do is start requiring all commercial software do the following:

  1. Declare an SBOM
  2. Each software component must have a listed specification

Once we have all that, you can glance at a company's SBOM and find out if they've done the bare minimum due-diligence. We could also make or modify regulations that require these same materials standards, like privacy regulations, financial regulations.

And yes, meeting minimum material standards is more expensive. We already accept that cost in the physical world, why not in the software world? If there's a TDS, SDS, MSDS, etc for physical products, we should have them for software too. I want to know your materials are safe before I use your products. I'm sick of being exposed by companies who are completely irresponsible.