[address-policy-wg] Invitation to particpate in a RIPE Task-Force

Invitation to join and actively contribute to a RIPE Taskforce on

    "Abuse Contact Management in the RIPE Database"
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Background:


The RIPE Database serves as a data repository for Internet resource
assignments and allocations in the RIPE NCC's service region. Among
other purposes, it serves as a contact repository for administrative,
technical and operational matters regarding IP address ranges and
autonomous system numbers.

Over time, some mechanisms became available, such as the Incident
Response Team (IRT) object and an abuse-mailbox: attribute.

Different communities seem to have developed varying expectations and
understanding of how the data quality for such contact information can
be maintained at a high level, and how and when a report sent to such a
contact mechanism will be responded to or otherwise acted upon.

Recently, some RIPE Policy Proposals were submitted for consideration
and these proposals (2010-08, 2010-09 and 2010-10) were discussed in the
Address Policy Working Group, the Anti-Abuse Working Group and briefly
in the Database Working Group during the RIPE 61 Meeting in Rome.

Deliberations among the responsible working group chairs and senior
policy experts suggested that investigation be carried out to get a
deeper understanding of the motivations behind the policy proposals, the
expected outcomes, the operational and maintenance implications and the
role the RIPE Database could perform to support the desired results. It
was then suggested to the community and the policy proponents that the
most efficient way to progress the issue would be the creation of a RIPE
Task Force. There was no objection raised by the members of the
community present at the meeting.

Call for Participation
-----------------------
We invite members of the RIPE community, from the security as well as
from the anti-abuse areas, to volunteer and contribute to the proposed
task force.

Ideally, we would like to bring together the security and anti-abuse
communities and the IP resource management and network operations
communities to jointly analyse and refine the issue.

*Draft* Mandate for the Task Force
----------------------------------
[This draft mandate is for consideration, modification and refinement by
the task force]

The task force is mandated to:

- Agree on a useful name for the task force and, with the help of the
RIPE NCC, arrange the logistics and report back to the community about
the establishment of the task force

- Collect all relevant input that is readily available, in particular
policy proposals, information from presentations given recently by the
RIPE NCC regarding ideas on the future structure, credibility and
quality of data, and the maintenance mechanisms for entries in the RIPE
Database

- Collect and document comparable mechanisms and proposals in the other
RIR Regions (APNIC, AfriNIC, ARIN and LACNIC)

- Work with the interested community and the RIPE NCC to understand the
problem at hand and the environment in which to develop a proposal. This
analysis of the environment should include legal aspects, formal
responsibilities for the use of resources on the Internet,
well-established operating procedures and relevant operational aspects.

- Develop one or more (policy) proposals and/or general recommendations
on how collection and maintainace of relevant information in the
Registry Database should be organised, including a description of
potentially alternative implementations or approaches and the related
impact on all parties involved

*Draft* Timeline
-----------------

The Taskforce should:

- Try to collect the core group of participants before end of February 2010

- Start work on the dedicated mailing list as soon as possible, with a
view to meet for a face-to-face meeting in advance of RIPE 62 (May 2011)

- Report on the task force's progress during RIPE 62 (May 2011) and
collect regular input from the RIPE community

- Submit a first draft of a recommendation(s) and/or policy proposal(s)
before RIPE 63

- Agree on the proposal(s) and agree on the expected implementation
deadline


Submitting statements of intent to actively participate
--------------------------------------------------------

If you would like to participate in the task force, please email the
RIPE NCC's Database Manager, Paul Palse, at <ppalse at ripe.net>.
________________________________________________________________________

Best regards,
Wilfried,
circulating this invitation on behalf of the group of the proponents,
with kudos to the colleagues at the RIPE NCC for their help with wording!