Hi Andrew,
I'm not sure to understand if this means that ISOC staff is not able to "speak" (mailing list, mic, etc.), when they speak on their own capacity.
This will be, in my opinion a discrimination, especially considering that in the IETF we always act as individuals, and I know that there is a big group of very good and knowledgeable people.
I also have the same opinion for discriminating them for participating in drafts (by requiring them to talk about that with chairs, Ads, etc.), or the Independent Stream.
I think I agree with the rest, but again, if any staff, as an individual, has any restriction to participate in the IETF, this is not clearly in favor of the openness and transparency that we look for at IETF.
Regards,
Jordi
-----Mensaje original-----
De: ietf <ietf-bounces@xxxxxxxx> en nombre de Andrew Sullivan <sullivan@xxxxxxxx>
Fecha: domingo, 10 de marzo de 2019, 23:33
Para: "ietf@xxxxxxxx" <ietf@xxxxxxxx>
Asunto: Internet Society staff and IETF
Dear colleagues,
The next IETF meeting is the first one that is happening under the
aegis of the new IETF LLC. Because it is a new phase in the
relationship between the IETF and the wider Internet Society [1], it
seemed a good time for ISOC staff to have a look at the way we act
when participating in IETF meetings.
The relationship has always been a little funny, because of the way
things were structured. Formally, no ISOC staff except the President
(that's me, for now) necessarily has a relationship to the IETF.
Historically the President served on the IETF Trust and IAOC; the IAOC
ended when IETF LLC took over, and the Trust relationship will wind up
when the new Trustees are seated. Today I remain responsible for the
selection of the nomcom chair. The Board of Trustees of the Internet
Society function as the last step in the IETF appeals chain, but that
does not implicate staff. As a practical matter, of course, there is
a liaison between the IAB and ISOC that has always been an ISOC staff
member, and the Internet Society staff members collaborate more or
less formally in lots of ways at the IETF. More importantly, everyone
employed by the Internet Society remains committed to the continued
health of the IETF: we all know that the best way to ensure the
Internet is for everyone is to depend upon open, widely-available
standards based on rough consensus and running code.
The fact that a large part of the funding of the IETF comes from ISOC,
however, and that the IETF's legal existence is (still) inside ISOC,
has sometimes led to discomfort about the ways staff operate within
the IETF. So last week, we adopted a new internal policy about staff
participation in the IETF. I won't post the whole thing here, mostly
because it's an HR policy and I don't think it's a good idea to burden
the IETF with such details, but it still seems worth highlighting a
few things that you might notice from ISOC staff in the near future
(because these are changes that will be visible).
First, ISOC employees are encouraged to be conservative in what they
send, especially at mic lines. Employees will be required to note
their employment and to disclaim that they are representing the
Internet Society unless they are actually stating a published ISOC
position (or announcing a new one). This applies to everyone,
including me.
Second, ISOC staff are required to get explicit management approval to
be listed as authors on any I-D or RFC with their ISOC affiliation in
place. If they want to participate outside of that affiliation,
they're similarly required to make sure that the responsible AD, WG
chairs, and other authors are aware of their employment and still
comfortable proceeding. Employees are not allowed to publish anything
on the Independent Stream under any circumstances. (The idea here is
to ensure that anything that comes from ISOC employees is at least
subject to some consensus process.)
Third, staff members (including contractors) are discouraged from
taking formal roles (such as WG chair), committee participation (such
as the EDU team or Ombudsteam), and so on. In the case of WG chairs,
they are required to have a formal request from the relevant AD that
is renewed each time the responsible AD changes. In the case where a
staff member is the best candidate, they are required to find and
groom a successor in no more than one year (ideally in less time). We
should be here to help build and promote the community, and part of
that means standing out of the way in favour of others. We are also
not allowed to volunteer for the nomcom and must decline if selected.
And, we're not permitted to take nomcom-selected positions under any
circumstances.
The overall idea is to try to draw a bright line between being
employed at the Internet Society, and being part of the formal
machinery of the IETF. Staff are still encouraged to read and comment
on drafts, to participate actively and constructively in WGs, and so
on. There will also be continued collaboration beween ISOC and the
IAB. But it seems especially important, while the machinery of the
IETF LLC gets running properly, that nobody be confused about the
formal role of ISOC in the IETF. The new staff guidelines are
intended to ensure there isn't confusion. I think that will help to
make sure the new IETF LLC is strong and effective.
I hope this is useful information. If you have questions or want to
know more, please feel free to ask, and I'll be happy to answer
insofar as appropriate for a staff issue. You can always reach me at
sullivan@xxxxxxxx, or catch me in the hallway in Prague.
Best regards,
Andrew
[1] I think of the Internet Society as comprising not just the staff
and corporate existence of the Internet Society, but all the
directly-affiliated groups as well -- the chapters, different kinds of
members, SIGs, and so on. Since the IETF LLC is affiliated with ISOC
and, while legally distinct, remains part of the Internet Society's
corporate structure, I think of the IETF as "part of" the Internet
Society too, but in a loose way that is similar to other parts of our
community.
--
Andrew Sullivan
President & CEO, Internet Society
sullivan@xxxxxxxx
+1 517 885 3587
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