Subject: we should be spending time on problems that matter

From: Larry Masinter <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2020 20:13:55 -0700

I got some mail from a friend who wondered why I +1'd lloyd's antisomething
rant.

The main thing that drove me nuts about the diversion is that it seemed
beyond the ordinary run-of-the-mill string of kerfuffles. You could
attribute it to the times and the pandemic but perhaps it isn't just
cynicism about our failings as humans.

My conspiracy theory is that we're in the middle of cyberwarfare at layer 9
or 10 of the protocol stack, with billions if not trillions of investment,
and that any institution that isn't obviously FOR or AGAINST one of the
factions (has a hope of staying neutral) is an attractive target. Not all of
the loud participants are trolling for controversy, I'm sure many of you are
sincere.  But the Security Considerations for the IETF mailing list behavior
first and foremost should have something other than SaA booting as it is
entirely ineffective if not counter-productive. 

I would argue that piercing the veil of anonymity would help raise the cost
of fielding multiple sock-puppets. The ability to not truthfully say who you
are on a mailing list has been taken as some kind of freedom-rights, that I
don't understand. We have IPR rules and Note Well rituals for IPR rules.

That's what I suspected with my bulldogged insulter - it had to be someone
who knew me!  

Is it really too much to ask to validate the identity by some unrelated
person? Who works at a company that has an "Under Construction" web site? Or
has only one contact on LinkedIn?

Now, what else SHOULD we be worried about? Any security reviews or
operational needs by those people who are working on software that needs our
help? (But who would come here voluntarily to IETF where we have proved we
are unable to focus on important work and leave terminology and meeting fee
structures and scheme registrations for after the war?)

--

https://LarryMasinter.net https://interlisp.org