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rfc:bcp:bcp45



Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) L. Eggert Request for Comments: 9245 NetApp BCP: 45 S. Harris Obsoletes: 3005 June 2022 Updates: 3683 Category: Best Current Practice ISSN: 2070-1721

                    IETF Discussion List Charter

Abstract

 The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) discussion mailing list
 furthers the development and specification of Internet technology
 through the general discussion of technical, procedural, operational,
 and other topics for which no dedicated mailing lists exist.  As this
 is the most general IETF mailing list, considerable latitude in terms
 of topics is allowed, but there are posts and topics that are
 unsuitable for this mailing list.  This document defines the charter
 for the IETF discussion list and explains its scope.
 This document obsoletes RFC 3005 and updates RFC 3683.

Status of This Memo

 This memo documents an Internet Best Current Practice.
 This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force
 (IETF).  It represents the consensus of the IETF community.  It has
 received public review and has been approved for publication by the
 Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).  Further information on
 BCPs is available in Section 2 of RFC 7841.
 Information about the current status of this document, any errata,
 and how to provide feedback on it may be obtained at
 https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9245.

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (c) 2022 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
 document authors.  All rights reserved.
 This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
 Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
 (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
 publication of this document.  Please review these documents
 carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
 to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must
 include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the
 Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described
 in the Revised BSD License.
 This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF
 Contributions published or made publicly available before November
 10, 2008.  The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this
 material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow
 modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process.
 Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling
 the copyright in such materials, this document may not be modified
 outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may
 not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format
 it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other
 than English.

Table of Contents

 1.  Introduction
 2.  Charter for the IETF Discussion List
 3.  Moderation
 4.  Security Considerations
 5.  IANA Considerations
 6.  References
   6.1.  Normative References
   6.2.  Informative References
 Acknowledgements
 Authors' Addresses

1. Introduction

 The IETF discussion list [IETF-DISCUSS] furthers the development and
 specification of Internet technology through the general discussion
 of technical, procedural, operational, and other topics for which no
 dedicated mailing lists exist.  As this is the most general IETF
 mailing list, considerable latitude in terms of topics is allowed.
 However, there are posts and topics that are unsuitable for this
 mailing list.  This document defines the charter for the IETF
 discussion list and explains its scope.
 The IETF Note Well [NOTE-WELL] applies to discussions on the IETF
 discussion list and all other IETF mailing lists, and requires
 conformance with the IETF Guidelines for Conduct [RFC7154] and the
 Anti-Harassment Policy [RFC7776], among others.
 This document obsoletes [RFC3005], as it documents the use of other
 mailing lists for discussions that were previously in scope for the
 IETF discussion list, refers to applicable policies such as the
 Guidelines for Conduct [RFC7154] and the Anti-Harassment Policy
 [RFC7776], and clarifies moderation procedures.  It also updates part
 of Section 1 of [RFC3683], which copies the list of "inappropriate
 postings" from [RFC3005].  The list in [RFC3683] is hence updated by
 the new list in Section 2.

2. Charter for the IETF Discussion List

 The IETF discussion list is meant for discussions for which a more
 appropriate list does not exist, such as discussions that do not fall
 within the scope of any working group, area, or other established
 list.  When there is an existing venue for discussion, this should be
 noted and discussion should be moved there.
 When no dedicated mailing list exists for a topic, it may be
 preferable to request that one be created [NON-WG-LISTS] rather than
 discuss it on the IETF discussion list.  Availability of the new list
 may be announced on the IETF discussion list and on other related
 lists, such as area lists.
 Appropriate postings to the IETF discussion list include:
  • Initial discussion of technical issues that are candidates for

IETF work, but appropriate mailing lists have not yet been

    identified.
  • Questions and clarifications concerning practical aspects of IETF

meetings, although most of these topics are better brought up on

    the discussion list for IETF LLC administrative issues
    [ADMIN-DISCUSS] or the attendee discussion list for a given IETF
    meeting.
  • Announcements of conferences, events, or activities that are

sponsored or endorsed by the IETF, IRTF, IAB or the Internet

    Society, although the IETF announcement list [IETF-ANNOUNCE] is
    the preferred list for these.
  • Discussions of IETF direction, policy, and the standards process

in general, when a more suitable list (such as the discussion list

    for IETF LLC administrative issues [ADMIN-DISCUSS], the IAB
    discussion list for architectural issues [ARCH-DISCUSS], a meeting
    attendees list, a process-oriented WG list, etc.) cannot be
    identified.
 These topics used to be in scope for the IETF discussion list, but
 have since moved to dedicated lists:
  • Last Call discussions of documents now take place on the IETF Last

Calls mailing list [LAST-CALLS].

  • Discussion of IETF administrative policies now takes place on the

discussion list for IETF LLC administrative issues

    [ADMIN-DISCUSS].
 Inappropriate postings include:
  • Advertising and other unsolicited bulk e-mail
  • Discussion of subjects unrelated to IETF policy, meetings,

activities, or technical topics

  • Uncivil commentary, regardless of the general subject, per the

IETF Note Well [NOTE-WELL]

  • Announcements of conferences, events, or activities that are not

sponsored or endorsed by the IETF, IRTF, IAB, or the Internet

    Society.

3. Moderation

 The IETF Chair appoints _Moderators_ (previously known as the
 "sergeant-at-arms") for the IETF discussion list that are empowered
 to restrict posting by a person, or to an email thread, when the
 content is inappropriate and represents a pattern of abuse.  They are
 encouraged to take into account the overall nature of the postings by
 an individual and whether particular postings are typical or an
 aberration.
 Moderation of the IETF discussion list, including the handling of any
 appeals, is guided by the IETF discussion list charter specified in
 Section 2, and the related guidance from Section 1 that applies to
 all mailing lists.  The moderators are selected from within the
 community to moderate the community.  Because the IESG and IAB are in
 the appeals chain for moderator decisions (see below), the IETF Chair
 therefore should not appoint a moderator who is serving in such a
 role.  If a moderator is selected for the IESG or IAB, they will step
 down from the moderator team.
 Apart from appointing moderators, the IETF Chair should refrain from
 the day-to-day operation and management of the moderator team.  The
 moderator team will independently define, publish, and execute their
 role; see the current set of operating procedures [MOD-SOP] and abuse
 patterns [MOD-UPC].  The moderator team should reach out to the IETF
 Chair for any conflict resolution in a timely manner.
 Because a moderator serves at the discretion of the IETF Chair --
 even if the IETF Chair is not otherwise involved in the operation of
 the moderator team -- any moderator decision can be appealed to the
 IETF Chair, per [RFC2026].  Decisions by the IETF Chair can be
 appealed to the IESG as whole, again per [RFC2026].

4. Security Considerations

 The usual security considerations [RFC3552] do not apply to this
 document.
 Potential abuse of the moderation process for the suppression of
 undesired opinions is counteracted by the availability of an appeals
 process, per Section 3.

5. IANA Considerations

 This document does not request any IANA actions.

6. References

6.1. Normative References

 [RFC2026]  Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision
            3", BCP 9, RFC 2026, DOI 10.17487/RFC2026, October 1996,
            <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2026>.

6.2. Informative References

 [ADMIN-DISCUSS]
            IETF, "admin-discuss -- Discussion list for IETF LLC
            administrative issues",
            <https://ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/admin-discuss>.
 [ARCH-DISCUSS]
            IAB, "Architecture-discuss -- open discussion forum for
            long/wide-range architectural issues",
            <https://ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/architecture-discuss>.
 [IETF-ANNOUNCE]
            IETF, "IETF-Announce -- IETF announcement list. No
            discussions.",
            <https://ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf-announce>.
 [IETF-DISCUSS]
            IETF, "ietf -- IETF-Discussion",
            <https://ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf>.
 [LAST-CALLS]
            IETF, "last-call -- IETF Last Calls",
            <https://ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/last-call>.
 [MOD-SOP]  IETF, "Sergeant-at-Arms Standard Operating Procedures",
            commit c1abcb0 , 9 October 2019,
            <https://github.com/ietf/saa/blob/main/sop.md>.
 [MOD-UPC]  IETF, "Unprofessional commentary", commit e120305 , 8
            October 2019, <https://github.com/ietf/saa/blob/main/
            unprofessional-commentary.md>.
 [NON-WG-LISTS]
            IETF, "Non-Working Group Email List Guidelines",
            <https://ietf.org/how/lists/nonwglist-guidelines/>.
 [NOTE-WELL]
            IETF, "Note Well", <https://ietf.org/about/note-well/>.
 [RFC3005]  Harris, S., "IETF Discussion List Charter", BCP 45,
            RFC 3005, DOI 10.17487/RFC3005, November 2000,
            <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3005>.
 [RFC3160]  Harris, S., "The Tao of IETF - A Novice's Guide to the
            Internet Engineering Task Force", RFC 3160,
            DOI 10.17487/RFC3160, August 2001,
            <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3160>.
 [RFC3184]  Harris, S., "IETF Guidelines for Conduct", RFC 3184,
            DOI 10.17487/RFC3184, October 2001,
            <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3184>.
 [RFC3552]  Rescorla, E. and B. Korver, "Guidelines for Writing RFC
            Text on Security Considerations", BCP 72, RFC 3552,
            DOI 10.17487/RFC3552, July 2003,
            <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3552>.
 [RFC3683]  Rose, M., "A Practice for Revoking Posting Rights to IETF
            Mailing Lists", BCP 83, RFC 3683, DOI 10.17487/RFC3683,
            March 2004, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3683>.
 [RFC7154]  Moonesamy, S., Ed., "IETF Guidelines for Conduct", BCP 54,
            RFC 7154, DOI 10.17487/RFC7154, March 2014,
            <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7154>.
 [RFC7776]  Resnick, P. and A. Farrel, "IETF Anti-Harassment
            Procedures", BCP 25, RFC 7776, DOI 10.17487/RFC7776, March
            2016, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7776>.

Acknowledgements

 Susan R. Harris authored [RFC3005], which this document replaces.  In
 addition to many technical contributions to the IETF, Susan authored
 a number of other foundational documents, such as the original "IETF
 Guidelines for Conduct" [RFC3184] and the original "Tao of the IETF"
 [RFC3160].  Susan R.  Harris passed away in early 2022.  This
 document is dedicated to her memory, as a small token of appreciation
 of her many contributions.
 The following people have made other contributions to this document:
  • Adrian Farrel
  • Barry Leiba
  • Ben Kaduk
  • Brian Carpenter
  • Carsten Bormann
  • Christian Huitema
  • Dhruv Dhody
  • Eric Rescorla
  • Eric Vyncke
  • Francesca Palombini
  • John Scudder
  • Lloyd Wood
  • Martin Thomson
  • Robert Wilton
  • Subramanian Moonesamy
  • Stephen Farrell

Authors' Addresses

 Lars Eggert
 NetApp
 Stenbergintie 12 B
 FI-02700 Kauniainen
 Finland
 Email: lars@eggert.org
 URI:   https://eggert.org/
 Susan Harris
/data/webs/external/dokuwiki/data/pages/rfc/bcp/bcp45.txt · Last modified: 2022/06/21 22:33 by 127.0.0.1

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