[cooperation-wg] RIPE NCC Hosts Workshop for Russian LEAs

> On 29 Mar 2018, at 10:45, Alex Smirnoff <ark at eltex.net> wrote:
> 
> It is like they need us, not vice versa, right?

First, let’s stop this “us” and “them” attitude. It’s wrong and unhelpful.

Law enforcement, regulators and so on are members of the RIPE community. We have to work with these sectors, just like we engage with IXPs, ISPs, privacy activists and so on.

An adversarial relationship with the authorities will not be in the best interests of anyone. That doesn’t mean “we” must always agree with “them”. It does mean at a minimum that there are channels for discussion and mutual understanding and that these work well. It looks to me that the recent workshop was a welcome step in that direction. 

And FWIW we need “them” just as much as they need “us”. We’re all passengers on the same Internet bus and we have a common interest in making sure the wheels don’t come off.