[rpd] RPD Digest, Vol 222, Issue 158

Wed Jul 22 14:11:08 UTC 2026

Hi everyone,

I understand the concerns being raised about AI and new participants
joining the discussion. However, I don't think we should discourage people
from participating simply because they are new or because they choose to
use AI as a writing aid.

AI can help people organize their thoughts, improve grammar, or communicate
more clearly, but it shouldn't replace independent thinking. What matters
most is whether the ideas being presented are relevant, technically sound,
and contribute meaningfully to the policy discussion.

The PDP has always been intended to be open and inclusive. New participants
should be encouraged to engage, provided they do so respectfully and in
good faith. If there are concerns about duplicate messages or coordinated
submissions, those can be addressed based on evidence rather than
assumptions about individuals.

I believe we should continue evaluating contributions on their merit and
keep the discussion focused on the policy itself.

Kind regards,

Fundiswa Nadia Maseko

On Wed, 22 Jul 2026, 15:53 , <rpd-request at afrinic.net> wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Policy supremacy (Nonjabulo Sphilile)
>    2. Re: The usage of AI in platforms (JP)
>    3. Re: Policy supremacy (Diroi Karalis)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:45:19 +0200
> From: Nonjabulo Sphilile <nonjabulosphilile at gmail.com>
> To: rpd at afrinic.net
> Subject: Re: [rpd] Policy supremacy
> Message-ID:
>         <CAJwHbZOpK+zh=
> aWw6YqZVRZ51DVEdpsQ3xfRar0XmgPedHLruA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Hi Musa,
>
> The PDWG is open. Participation does not depend on being known to
> long-standing members, attending earlier meetings, or proving a
> professional stake after joining. New participation is still participation.
>
> KYC would be a serious procedural change, not an informal test for
> unfamiliar objectors. Any such requirement would need to be formally
> adopted, proportionate, privacy-preserving, and applied equally to
> established and new participants.
>
> Similar views are not proof of impersonation. If there is concrete evidence
> of misconduct, please submit it to the co-chairs. Otherwise, I will not
> continue discussing identities or drafting methods.
>
> Let us return to the policy.
>
> Regards,
> Nonjabulo
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> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:51:18 +0200
> From: JP <froztbyte at froztbyte.net>
> To: rpd at afrinic.net
> Subject: Re: [rpd] The usage of AI in platforms
> Message-ID: <A9B484F0-A3F8-408A-B9DF-7E4FE3E2024D at froztbyte.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed"
>
> On 22 Jul 2026, at 12:15, Mzwakhe Mabasa via RPD wrote:
>
> > Good day.I would like to post to the RPD mailing list. Kindly allow me
> > this opportunity of being part of the RPD afrinic policy decisions.?
> >
> > While AI is widely used across the internet,  its acceptability
> > depends on the specific platform you are referring to . Most social
> > networks allow AI assistance, but require the clear labeling of
> > AI-generated imagery and ban non-consensual deepfakes or harmful
> > content.?LSince platform policies vary greatly, here is a breakdown
> > of how the most popular services handle AI usage:
> >
> >    - Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube): Generally
> > allowed, but social media algorithms penalize low-quality, generic
> > content. Major platforms are shifting to automatic detection and
> > require synthetic imagery to be appropriately labeled to avoid
> > misinformation penalties.?
> >
> >    - Design & Creative Platforms (Canva): AI usage for brainstorming
> > and generating designs is permitted, but platforms typically place
> > operational limits on how much AI content you can generate per month.
> > Users are responsible for ensuring AI outputs do not mislead others
> > and are used in accordance with local copyright laws.?
> >
> >    - AI Generation Models (Open AI, Midjourney): AI tools are
> > permitted, but they enforce strict universal policies. You cannot use
> > these services for harassment, defamation, or generating unauthorized
> > deepfakes of real people
>
> to play off an older joke:
>
> q: ?how do you know someone?s using LLMs??
> a: ?they?ll damn well tell you?
>
> normally I don?t need to pay much attention to rpd because things
> don?t move that much, and then the last week? the sloppist tsunami
> has been quite notable. and it?s near all this kind of milquetoast
> nonsense gibberish. I saw someone else mention the astroturfing
> component of things too (and a cursory investigation around the poster
> domains for the most vocal proponents there had me raising my eyebrows
> most spock-like) but I?ll leave that aside for now
>
> it?s probably worth rpd considering a full and complete ban on
> prompt-generation and prompt-assistance for use on the policy list, with
> possibly a poster cooldown/block period (and some way to deal with
> repeat offenders and ban evasion).
>
> there?s both precedent and strong arguments in favour
>
> precedent: a number of other public-benefit and mass-cooperation
> organisations and projects have taken to the hardline block (the most
> notable is codeberg, as of earlier today)
>
> arguments: the most obvious is exactly what has happened in the last
> week (and the alternative of no ban is an utter deluge of worthless
> noise, which will space-fill as far as it can go). there is also ample
> evidence across multiple years and multiple studies that these
> technologies are _bad_ at fine detail, and that?s exactly the sort of
> thing that is very ill-fitting in the context of what rpd is to be doing
>
> -J
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> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:52:40 +0200
> From: Diroi Karalis <diroikaralis at gmail.com>
> To: rpd at afrinic.net
> Subject: Re: [rpd] Policy supremacy
> Message-ID:
>         <
> CA+wt7VoZ2hQyw6ZiGAAxr-SRTmXaYwjM-xD_aknC2tj+Oqhdig at mail.gmail.com>
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>
> Dear Musa,
>
> Tshepo and Gugu don't need prior recognition from established participants
> before their input counts. Joining recently, missing earlier meetings, or
> sharing similar views is not evidence of impersonation or bad faith. Anyone
> is entitled to join an open process at Last Call and raise objections
> before a proposal becomes policy.
> KYC would be a significant procedural and privacy change. It can't be
> applied selectively to objectors we don't recognize it would need a formal
> basis, a clear justification, proper safeguards, and equal application to
> every participant, not just the inconvenient ones.
> If you have evidence of misconduct, send it to the co-chairs. Otherwise,
> engage with Tshepo and Gugu's arguments on their merits. Familiarity isn't
> authority, and "the community" isn't a closed circle that gets to decide
> who's allowed in.
>
> Regards,
> Diroi
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> End of RPD Digest, Vol 222, Issue 158
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