RE: Ballot Group Confidentiality
- To: stds-802-sec@ieee.org
- Subject: RE: Ballot Group Confidentiality
- From: "Montague, John (Exchange)" <montaj@caemail.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
- Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 09:05:43 -0400
- Cc: ckm@mickgroup.com, "Michael J. Binder" <mbinder@stdsbbs.ieee.org>
- Sender: owner-stds-802-sec@majordomo.ieee.org
The Sponsor Ballot is the mechanism by which public review of IEEE's
proposed standards occurs. A case can be made for limited confidentiality
for those involved in the development of a standard. Any right to isolation
(constraint of full public exposure) ends when the proposed standard is
complete enough for public review. There is no legitimacy for anonymity or
confidentiality among those who choose to act as surrogates for the general
public during the Sponsor Ballot process. Every member of the Sponsor
Ballot list should be publicly identified together with all material
affiliations, company and organizational, etc.; contact information should
be provided -- at least e-mail addresses and postal addresses. The IEEE
Standards process is fatally flawed if the final public review of a proposed
standard is not completely public and open.
John Montague