Session Date/Time: 24 Mar 2022 12:00

iabopen

Summary

The IAB Open meeting provided updates on current IAB activities, including document publication status, program reports (EDM, Internet Threat Model, RFC Editor Program), and liaison engagements. A detailed report on the "Analyzing IETF Data" workshop highlighted the potential for data-driven insights to improve IETF processes. The session then focused on a critical community topic: Internet centralization. Presentations covered measurement studies, a draft exploring the IETF's role in addressing it, and technical approaches. The ensuing discussion emphasized defining the problem's scope for the IETF and identifying concrete technical actions.

Key Discussion Points

IAB Updates

IAB Documents:
- RFC 9170 (from the EDM program) has been published.
- A new document, the IAB PASS Signals Collaboration draft, was adopted, with discussion ongoing on the architecture-discuss mailing list.
- The output of the IAB's RFC Editor Program (RFCs 9170-9174) is ready for publication, pending a small update to the IAB Charter, which is currently undergoing an IETF last call and requires ISOC Board approval. The RFC Editor Program has formally concluded its work.
- A document on protocol maintenance from the EDM program is under renewed discussion.
IAB Program Reports:
- EDM (Evolution of the DNS Model): Following RFC 9170's publication, an interim meeting discussed related implementation text, which is now available in the data tracker to link to implementations.
- Internet Threat Model Program: An interim meeting was held, and three documents have been updated. The program is converging on publishing documents outlining principles for data minimization and intermediary involvement. A larger question remains about potentially updating the official IETF threat model.
Liaison Activities:
- The IAB liaison coordinator role is transitioning, with Deborah taking over from Wes Hardaker. Future IAB Open meetings may feature mini-presentations on specific Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs).
- ICANN SAC 113 calls for the ICANN board to reserve a DNS label for private use. The IETF's historical oversight of special use names and the need for IAB advice on this topic were discussed.
- The DRIP working group has indicated a need for IAB assistance in establishing liaisons with ASTM International and ICAO.
- ICANN RSAC is seeking information on plans to publish the Zone MD Record (an IETF-designed checksum for root zone content).
- The IAB is seeking a replacement liaison to the ICANN Root Server System Governance Working Group (GWG), as Ted Hardie steps down. The GWG aims to develop an overarching governance model for the 12 Root Server Operators, and IETF technical input is highly valued.

Analyzing IETF Data Workshop Report

Niels ten Oever reported on the "Analyzing IETF Data" workshop, held in November/December last year, which explored using IETF data to improve processes, standards, and community engagement.
The workshop format included a hackathon component and focused on several areas:
- Affiliations and Industry Control: Initial analysis of affiliation trends in mailing list participation and stakeholder categories, including comparisons with 3GPP data.
- Community and Diversity: Discussions and hacking on measuring and understanding diversity in the IETF, including country/region participation and tenure.
- Publication Process and Decision Making: Studying how decisions are made, identifying common delays in RFC development, and the relationship between RFCs and their deployment.
- Environmental Sustainability: Papers presented on the lack of sustainability discussions in IETF drafts and the CO2 emissions of IETF meetings.
Observations: The workshop was well-attended, featured high-quality papers, and involved a diverse group of participants. The mix of sessions and hackathon work fostered new collaborations, tested code, developed new research questions, and established a basis for a future IETF data research agenda. A follow-up workshop is under consideration.

Internet Centralization Discussion

Measurement Study on Web Consolidation: Viet Anh Nguyen presented findings on increasing web consolidation around Content Delivery Infrastructures (CDIs).
- CDI penetration in .com, .net, and .org domains increased from ~8% to ~15% in 2020.
- Popular landing pages show higher CDI penetration, with a few providers (e.g., Google, Amazon, Cloudflare) accounting for a significant majority of page resources (>50% of CDI-hosted resources from Google and Amazon combined).
- CDIs are especially prevalent for static resources (e.g., 86% for fonts).
- Consolidation presents both risks and benefits, such as accelerating IPv6 and TLS 1.3 deployment.
Draft: "centralization and internet standards": Mark Nottingham provided an update on his draft, which aims to explore how the IETF standards community can technically address centralization, avoiding broader economic or competition discussions.
- The draft proposes a taxonomy of centralization, discusses why common decentralization techniques are not "magic bullets," and suggests areas for IETF action.
- The draft is approximately 75% complete and is planned for submission to the Independent Stream, with continued community feedback sought on the architecture-discuss mailing list.
Technical Actions for Centralization: Jari Arkko outlined two categories for potential IETF technical actions:
- Data Accumulation: Solutions such as Oblivious DNS, privacy-preserving messaging (e.g., FPM-type solutions), and data minimization.
- Linkages/Bundling: Applying discovery and modularity (e.g., DDR from the ADD WG) to avoid tight couplings between operating systems, devices, browsers, applications, and services.
Community Discussion:
- Scope and Definition: Discussions centered on how to define and measure centralization, including the role of large organizations acting as content delivery networks and the importance of underlying platform providers.
- Application-Network Relationship: A key issue highlighted was the trend of functionalities moving from the network to application layers, centralizing control among a few large companies. The need for an IETF position on application-network signaling and data sharing conditions, while acknowledging policy implications, was emphasized.
- Walled Gardens vs. Centralization: It was suggested that "walled gardens" and high "switching costs" might be more critical concerns than centralization itself. The IETF's role in promoting interoperability, portable internet accounts, and decentralized curation (e.g., RSS) was highlighted.
ISOC Pulse Platform: Carl Gahnberg from the Internet Society announced a new "focus area" on centralization on their Pulse platform, which curates data and information. ISOC collaborates with W3Techs to measure market concentration for specific web technologies, using metrics like the Gini coefficient and HHI to track trends, and actively seeks community feedback.

Decisions and Action Items

RFC Editor Program Output: The IAB's RFC Editor Program draft has concluded its work and is ready for publication, pending completion of the IAB Charter update process.
IAB Liaison to GWG: Volunteers are being sought for the IAB liaison role to the ICANN Root Server System Governance Working Group (GWG); the deadline for volunteering is April 4, 2022.
DRIP WG Liaison Assistance: The DRIP working group is encouraged to contact the IAB (via [email protected]) for assistance in establishing liaisons with ASTM International and ICAO.
Mark Nottingham's Draft: Public discussion on Mark Nottingham's "centralization and internet standards" draft will continue on the architecture-discuss mailing list, with a plan to submit it to the Independent Stream after further community review.

Next Steps

IAB Charter Update: The IAB will complete the IETF last call and ISOC Board approval process for the IAB Charter update to enable the publication of the RFC Editor Program's output.
Centralization Discussion: The broader discussion on Internet centralization, its technical implications, and potential IETF actions will continue on the architecture-discuss mailing list.
Follow-up Workshop on IETF Data: Further discussions are planned with IAB leadership regarding a potential follow-up to the "Analyzing IETF Data" workshop, with a preference for an in-person event.
ISOC Pulse Feedback: Community members are encouraged to review the ISOC Pulse platform's centralization focus area and provide feedback to [email protected].