**Session Date/Time:** 05 Nov 2024 16:30

# pearg

## Summary

The pearg session at IETF 121 included presentations and discussions on internet measurement safety, the impact of ECMP routing on censorship measurement, and practical private information retrieval for key-value queries. The session focused on technical challenges and potential solutions related to privacy and censorship in internet measurements and applications.

## Key Discussion Points

*   **Guidelines for Safe Internet Measurement:**
    *   The current draft focuses on user safety and privacy during internet measurements.
    *   Open issues include clarifying the scope, addressing bias towards high-risk individuals, and aligning with IMC guidelines.
    *   Feedback from the community emphasized the need for a more positive and instructive tone in the guidelines, providing solutions rather than just highlighting problems.
*   **Impact of ECMP Routing on Censorship Measurement:**
    *   ECMP routing can significantly affect censorship measurement results due to path diversity based on source IP and port.
    *   Measurement studies must account for censorship along the path, not just at the destination.
    *   There was discussion about the applicability of the research to both outside-in and inside-out censorship measurement scenarios.
    *   Potential use of ECMP-induced routing variations for censorship circumvention was discussed.
*   **Practical Private Information Retrieval (PIR):**
    *   A new PIR scheme was presented that is efficient for key-value pair databases, utilizing binary fuse filters.
    *   The scheme's practical performance (milliseconds query times) makes it viable for applications like compromised credential checking and safe browsing.
    *   Discussions included potential applications, comparisons with other techniques (e.g., private set membership), and future research directions like handling mutable databases.

## Decisions and Action Items

*   **Guidelines for Safe Internet Measurement:**
    *   Gushabad will revise the draft to address the negative tone by including examples of how to fix issues and providing a more positive framing.
    *   Gushabad will re-review and align the draft with IMC guidelines.
    *   Expect a new version of the draft next month, followed by a possible RGLC (Research Group Last Call).
*   **Impact of ECMP Routing on Censorship Measurement:**
    *   Abhishek to consider feedback on symmetrical censorship.

## Next Steps

*   Gushabad to revise and update the Internet Measurement Guidelines draft.
*   Abhishek to continue research on ECMP routing impact and possible circumvention techniques.
*   Explore potential collaboration with relevant IETF working groups to integrate PIR schemes in applicable protocols.