[Community-Discuss] ID verification on the Database Working Group mailing list

[Ronald F. Guilmette]

In message <AM7PR03MB645111558A560706935F735DEE5E9 at AM7PR03MB6451.eurprd03.prod.outlook.com>, 
Andrew Alston <Andrew.Alston at liquidtelecom.com> wrote:

>If AfriNIC chooses to remove me from the lists because I refuse to hand over ID
>documents ? while they are quite ok with taking my money as an authorized admin
>contact ? then in effect, they are no longer providing the service that a full
>RIR providers to other members, based on a requirement that they have no
>mandate to implement.
>
>AfriNIC cannot guarantee the security of information provided.

I feel that I should perhaps apologize to everyone.

I put forward the idea that AFRINIC should do SOMETHING to get rid of the
sockpuppets on the mailing lists, so I guess this is all partially my fault,
and I accept my share of responsibility for that.

Please note however that what I had suggested was rather dramatically different
from what seems to have been actually adopted/implemented by AFRINIC.

I had suggested that there should be some vetting of mailing list participants
*only* when and if the bona fides of certain individual ones were questioned,
directly, and off-list, to postmaster at afrinic.net.  I never envisioned that
the entire list membership should be vetted!!  And certainly that is dramatic
overkill... like using a shotgun to kill a fly.

Furthermore, like Andrew, I also am more than a little concerned about the
security of any documents that *I* might now be obliged to submit, if I should
wish to stay on the mailing list.

I have nothing else to say about this other than that it is my personal wish
that this vetting only be applied in cases where legitimate questions about
the bona fides of individual mailing list participants have been raised.
And I must agree with Andrew that it makes no real sense to demand bona fides
from mailing list participants that are both clearly and historically associated
with dues paying members of AFRINIC.  (I am not one of those, so I guess that
if it is deemed necessary, I personally will have to submit to this new protocol
if I want to stay on the list, but Andrew and others that are well known in the
community AND associated with dues-paying members certainly should not have to
endure this virtual strip-search.)

It *is* essential to eject the sockpuppets from the mailing lists, however this
goal can be achieved with a much lighter touch, and without making dozens or
hundreds of mailing list participants, about whome no question has ever been
raised, give up personal information.


Regards,
rfg