Subject: RE: SUMMARY: archiving of NOMCOM information

From: "Schliesser, Benson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 11:10:39 -0600

> PROPOSED CONSENSUS: The NOMCOM Chair and one or more NOMCOM voting
> members should maintain an archive of the information and
> deliberations of the NOMCOM for their term of service.  
> The archive can be used if the NOMCOM is called upon to fill a 
> mid-term vacancy.
> At the end of the term of service all information is to be
> destroyed.

The nomcom operates in confidentiality, and archives should be maintained in
confidentiality. However, there isn't any reason that I can think of to hide
the truth. If the archives contain legitimate documentation of the selection
process then what is there to fear? If they contain dirty secrets then
perhaps there is a greater problem at hand. In either case, I can't
understand why the IETF would be served well by destroying such
documentation.

I'd propose that we continue to archive the discussions, confidentially by a
trusted party such as the secretariat (perhaps with a multi-party encryption
scheme, and definitely with a public-notice of release policy), for a
reasonably long time. (i.e., minimum of 10 years, maximum of forever) I'd
further suggest that these discussions should be validated (i.e., digitally
signed) by the nomcom members before being placed into archive. (solves
questions of 'authoritative copy', etc.)

-Benson

---

From: Eric Brunner-Williams in Portland Maine <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 14:31:00 -0500

> the truth. ...

If we were attempting to state what the retention policy of some entity
performing or facilitating data collection, because we were so inclined,
and the data collecting entity is some bcp10 derived thingee, e.g., the NC,
which (if any) of the following [1] should apply?

	no-retention		(no purposeful retention)
	stated-purpose		(retain until explicit purposes completed) 
	business-practices	(retain until implicit purposes completed)
	legal-requirement	(what is this hypothetical?)
	indefinitely		(archival retention)

I suggest <stated-purpose>. While I'm sure a truth is hiding out there
somewhere, it isn't the truth of the data retention period agreed to by
the nomcom lottery participants.

Eric

[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/P3P/#RETENTION