Anti-harassment update: Update to the IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures for the Replacement of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) with the IETF Administration LLC
Updating IETF harassment procedures to reflect changes in governance structure.
Resnick, P. and A. Farrel, "Update to the IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures for the Replacement of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) with the IETF Administration LLC", BCP 25, RFC 8716, DOI 10.17487/RFC8716, February 2020, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8716>.
@misc{rfc8716,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 8716,
howpublished = {RFC 8716},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC8716},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8716},
author = {P. Resnick and A. Farrel},
title = {{Update to the IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures for the Replacement of the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) with the IETF Administration LLC}},
pagetotal = 7,
year = 2020,
month = feb,
} RFC text
Contents
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) P. Resnick
Request for Comments: 8716 Episteme Technology Consulting LLC
BCP: 25 A. Farrel
Updates: 7776 Old Dog Consulting
Category: Best Current Practice February 2020
ISSN: 2070-1721
Update to the IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures for the Replacement of the
IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) with the IETF
Administration LLC
Abstract
The IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures are described in RFC 7776.
The IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) has been replaced
by the IETF Administration LLC, and the IETF Administrative Director
has been replaced by the IETF LLC Executive Director. This document
updates RFC 7776 to amend these terms.
RFC 7776 contained updates to RFC 7437. RFC 8713 has incorporated
those updates, so this document also updates RFC 7776 to remove those
updates.
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/rfc8716.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2020 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 Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
described in the Simplified BSD License.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Changes to RFC 7776
2.1. Changes to Section 3.4
2.2. Changes to Section 5
2.3. Changes to References to RFC 7437
2.3.1. Changes to Metadata
2.3.2. Changes to the Abstract
2.3.3. Changes to Section 5.1
3. IANA Considerations
4. Security Considerations
5. References
5.1. Normative References
5.2. Informative References
Acknowledgements
Authors' Addresses
1. Introduction
The IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures are described in RFC 7776
[RFC7776]. Those procedures include direction for the IETF Chair and
Ombudsteam to take advice from the IETF Administrative Oversight
Committee (IAOC) with respect to the budget available for training.
The IAOC has been replaced by the IETF Administration LLC, and the
IETF Administrative Director has been replaced by the IETF LLC
Executive Director. This document updates RFC 7776 to amend these
terms and to update a reference.
RFC 7776 contained updates to [RFC7437]. [RFC8713] has incorporated
those updates, so this document also updates RFC 7776 to remove those
updates.
This document makes no other changes to the procedures described in
RFC 7776.
2. Changes to RFC 7776
2.1. Changes to Section 3.4
Section 3.4 of [RFC7776] is about the qualifications and training of
the Ombudsteam. The last paragraph of that section is replaced as
follows:
OLD
| In determining the appropriate training, the IETF Chair and
| Ombudsteam shall take professional advice and will consult with
| the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) with respect to
| the overall IETF budget.
NEW
| In determining the appropriate training, the IETF Chair and
| Ombudsteam shall take professional advice and will consult with
| the IETF Administration LLC with respect to the overall IETF
| budget.
END
2.2. Changes to Section 5
Section 5 of [RFC7776] is about remedies available to the Ombudsteam.
The last paragraph of that section is replaced as follows:
OLD
| Where specific action is required to ensure that a remedy is
| realized or enforced, the Ombudsteam will make a request in
| writing to the IETF Secretariat and/or IETF Administrative
| Director (IAD) to take action as appropriate.
NEW
| Where specific action is required to ensure that a remedy is
| realized or enforced, the Ombudsteam will make a request in
| writing to the IETF Secretariat and/or IETF LLC Executive Director
| to take action as appropriate.
END
2.3. Changes to References to RFC 7437
RFC 7776 updated RFC 7437 [RFC7437] by allowing the Ombudsteam to
form a recall petition. This document does not change any of the
associated processes. However, during the process of documenting the
replacement of the IAOC by the IETF Administration LLC, RFC 7437 has
been obsoleted by [RFC8713], and as part of that work, [RFC8713] has
included the update from RFC 7776.
This document updates RFC 7776 to remove the update of RFC 7437.
2.3.1. Changes to Metadata
The following change is made to the metadata at the head of
[RFC7776]:
OLD
| Updates: 2418, 7437
NEW
| Updates: 2418
END
2.3.2. Changes to the Abstract
The following change is made to text in the Abstract of [RFC7776]:
DELETE
| This document updates RFC 7437 by allowing the Ombudsteam to form
| a recall petition without further signatories.
END
2.3.3. Changes to Section 5.1
The following change is made to text in Section 5.1 of [RFC7776]:
OLD
| * Many IETF management positions are appointed by the NomCom with
| confirmation from the IESG, IAB, or ISOC. [RFC7437] describes
| the recall procedure for such appointments. This document
| updates [RFC7437] by allowing the Ombudsteam to form a recall
| petition on its own and without requiring 20 signatories from
| the community. Such a petition shall be treated in all ways
| like any other recall petition as described in [RFC7437]: that
| is, the fact of the petition and its signatories (the
| Ombudsteam) shall be announced to the IETF community, and a
| Recall Committee Chair shall be appointed to complete the
| Recall Committee process. It is expected that the Recall
| Committee will receive a briefing from the Ombudsteam
| explaining why recall is considered an appropriate remedy.
NEW
| * The Ombudsteam may form a recall petition on its own without
| requiring signatures from the community as described in
| [RFC8713].
END
3. IANA Considerations
This document has no IANA actions.
4. Security Considerations
This document has no implications for Internet security.
5. References
5.1. Normative References
[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>.
[RFC8713] Kucherawy, M., Ed., Hinden, R., Ed., and J. Livingood,
Ed., "IAB, IESG, and IETF LLC Selection, Confirmation, and
Recall Process: Operation of the IETF Nominating and
Recall Committees", BCP 10, RFC 8713,
DOI 10.17487/RFC8713, February 2020,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8713>.
5.2. Informative References
[RFC7437] Kucherawy, M., Ed., "IAB, IESG, and IAOC Selection,
Confirmation, and Recall Process: Operation of the
Nominating and Recall Committees", BCP 10, RFC 7437,
DOI 10.17487/RFC7437, January 2015,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7437>.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Jason Livingood for suggesting the need for this document.
Subramanian Moonesamy, Sean Turner, Jon Peterson, Roman Danyliw, and
Barry Leiba raised useful points during their reviews of this work.
Authors' Addresses
Pete Resnick
Episteme Technology Consulting LLC
503 West Indiana Avenue
Urbana, Illinois 61801-4941
United States of America
Phone: +1 217 337 1905
Email: resnick@episteme.net
Adrian Farrel
Old Dog Consulting
Email: adrian@olddog.co.uk
AI ELI5
On this page
§1Why This Update Is Needed
The IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures, defined in RFC 7776, establish rules for how the IETF community should be treated fairly and how harassment concerns are addressed. These procedures are essential guidance that affects the day-to-day functioning of the organization.
However, the IETF recently restructured its governance. The IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC)—which handled budget and administrative oversight—was replaced by a new structure called the IETF Administration LLC. The Administrative Director position was replaced by an Executive Director role. RFC 7776 still used the old names, making the document outdated and confusing.
This document updates RFC 7776 to use the current names and organizational structure, ensuring that the anti-harassment procedures are clear about who is responsible for what.
The IETF had an old committee called the IAOC. That became the IETF LLC with a new leader. The anti-harassment rules still said IAOC, so this fixes them.
§2The Organizational Transition
Before this change, the IETF was governed by a structure that included the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee. This committee oversaw the IETF Secretariat, managed the budget, and provided administrative oversight of the organization's operations.
The IETF reorganized to create the IETF Administration LLC, a more streamlined structure led by an Executive Director. This change simplified governance and made decision-making clearer. However, procedural documents that referenced the old structure became unclear.
The key insight is that nothing fundamentally changed about the anti-harassment procedures themselves—the rules, remedies, and processes remain the same. Only the names of the committees and positions needed updating.
The IETF reorganized its management structure, but the rules for treating people well stayed the same. This just updates the names.
§3Changes to Training Budget Consultation
The IETF Anti-Harassment Procedures require the IETF Chair and the Ombudsteam (the group that handles harassment complaints and ensures fair treatment) to consult on training for the Ombudsteam itself.
Before this update, RFC 7776 stated: "the IETF Chair and Ombudsteam shall take professional advice and will consult with the IETF Administrative Oversight Committee (IAOC) with respect to the overall IETF budget."
After this update, it now reads: "the IETF Chair and Ombudsteam shall take professional advice and will consult with the IETF Administration LLC with respect to the overall IETF budget."
This is a direct name substitution. The process and the principle—that training decisions should be made in awareness of budget constraints—remain identical.
When the Ombudsteam plans training, they talk with the budget people. The old rule said IAOC; the new one says IETF LLC. That is the only change.
§4Changes to Remedy Enforcement
When the Ombudsteam determines that a remedy is needed to address harassment or unfair treatment, they must sometimes ask the IETF Secretariat or a leadership figure to take action.
The old text in RFC 7776 said: "the Ombudsteam will make a request in writing to the IETF Secretariat and/or IETF Administrative Director (IAD) to take action as appropriate."
The updated text now says: "the Ombudsteam will make a request in writing to the IETF Secretariat and/or IETF LLC Executive Director to take action as appropriate."
Again, this is a straightforward name change. The Ombudsteam still has the authority to request action, and the Executive Director still has the responsibility to respond—the change reflects who currently holds that title.
When the Ombudsteam asks for help enforcing a fairness decision, they write to the IETF leader. That leader used to be called the Administrative Director; now it is the Executive Director.
§5Cleaning Up Updates to RFC 7437
RFC 7776 originally updated RFC 7437, which describes the IETF Nominating Committee (NomCom) and the recall process for IETF leadership. Specifically, RFC 7776 had added a provision allowing the Ombudsteam to initiate a recall petition without gathering 20 community signatures—a significant power given to the Ombudsteam.
However, when RFC 8713 was published (also in February 2020), it obsoleted RFC 7437 and incorporated the Ombudsteam update into itself. This means the update from RFC 7776 is now redundant; RFC 8713 already has the correct language.
To avoid confusion, this document removes the outdated update reference from RFC 7776. The RFC's metadata will no longer say it updates RFC 7437, and relevant text in RFC 7776 is trimmed. The recall provisions the Ombudsteam needs are now clearly stated in RFC 8713.
RFC 7776 used to fix something in an older rule (RFC 7437). But a newer rule (RFC 8713) replaced that old rule and already had the fix. So this removes the redundant update.
§6Outcome and Impact
This is a small but important update. RFC 8716 is Best Current Practice (the same level as RFC 7776 itself) and came out in February 2020, ensuring that the IETF's anti-harassment procedures reflected the actual organizational structure shortly after the IETF Administration LLC was established.
For anyone reading RFC 7776 to understand the IETF's commitment to fairness and the procedures for addressing harassment, this update ensures clarity: the documents name the current committees and leadership roles, not phantom entities that no longer exist. The substance of the anti-harassment procedures—the Ombudsteam's role, the types of remedies available, the training requirements—remains unchanged and continues to protect the IETF community.
This is a housekeeping update: name changes so the rules make sense with today's IETF structure. The fairness rules themselves did not change.