Applying the usual disclaimer- this is my personal opinion, and doesn't reflect the views of any organization with which I may be affiliated:
I do believe this provision is counter to the values and spirit of contribution toward the evolution of the Internet as a tool for open communication, and thus, would not be in favor of holding a meeting where such a provision is required.
On Fri, 18 Sep 2009, Marshall Eubanks wrote:
Greetings; We have received numerous suggestions and requests for an IETF meeting in China and the IAOC has been working on a potential China meeting for several years. We are now close to making a decision on a potential upcoming meeting in China. However, the following issue has arisen and we would appreciate your feedback. The Chinese government has imposed a rule on all conferences held since 2008 regarding political speech. A fundamental law in China requires that one not criticize the government. Practically, this has reference to public political statements or protest marches, which are not the IETF's custom. The government, which is a party to the issue, requires that people who attend conferences in China (the IETF being but one example) not engage in political speech during their tour in China. We consider this to be acceptable, on the basis that the IETF intends to abide by the laws of whatever nations it visits and we don't believe that this impacts our ability to do technical work. The rule is implemented in the Hotel agreement and reads (note that the "Client" would be the Host, and the "Group" would be the IETF) : "Should the contents of the Group's activities, visual or audio presentations at the conference,or printed materials used at the conference (which are within the control of the Client) contain any defamation against the Government of the People's Republic of China, or show any disrespect to the Chinese culture, or violates any laws of the People's Republic of China or feature any topics regarding human rights or religion without prior approval from the Government of the People's Republic of China, the Hotel reserves the right to terminate the event on the spot and/or ask the person(s) who initiates or participates in any or all of the above action to leave the hotel premises immediately. The Client will support and assist the Hotel with the necessary actions to handle such situations. Should there be any financial loss incurred to the Hotel or damage caused to the Hotel's reputation as a result of any or all of the above acts, the Hotel will claim compensation from the Client." What does this condition mean ? The hotel staff would have, in theory, the legal right to shut down the meeting and ask the offending participants to leave the property immediately. While we do not foresee a situation where such action would take place, we feel that it is proper to disclose these conditions to the community. The members of the IAOC, speaking as individuals, do not like this condition as a matter of principle. The IAOC does believe that this condition would not prevent the IETF from conducting its business. We note that the Vancouver/Quebec survey conducted earlier this year asked for people to suggest venues in Asia; an overwhelming majority (94%) of those who mentioned China were in favor of having a meeting there. We are therefore asking for input from the community by two means - by commenting on the IETF discussion list, and also by completing a very short survey on people's intentions to travel to China, or not, subject to these conditions. This survey can be found here : https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=h4DUkRUOdG_2bVLqioPcYYHw_3d_3d All responses received by October 1, 2009 at 9:00 AM EDT (1300 UTC) will be considered by the IAOC in making its decision. We appreciate the assistance of the community in providing us with data that will help us to make an informed decision. Regards Marshall Eubanks (acting for the IAOC)
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