[rpd] Policy supremacy

[Zenalo Mguqulwa]

Hi,

I don't believe introducing identity verification is the right solution.
The platform should remain open and accessible to anyone who wishes to
participate.

What matters is the quality of the argument, not who makes it. If
participants choose to share their background or affiliations, that's
entirely their decision, but it should never become a requirement for
taking part.

The same applies to AI. Its use is only going to become more common, and
that in itself isn't a problem. The focus should remain on whether
contributions are constructive, evidence-based, and engage with the
discussion.

Kind regards,
Zen
On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 at 16:12, <rpd-request at afrinic.net> wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Policy supremacy (Jaco Kroon)
>    2. Re: RPD Digest, Vol 222, Issue 158 (Fundiswa Nadia Maseko)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:01:03 +0200
> From: Jaco Kroon <jaco at uls.co.za>
> To: rpd at afrinic.net
> Subject: Re: [rpd] Policy supremacy
> Message-ID: <14936a5e-6d1e-4e4b-8957-b0e2018274aa at uls.co.za>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>
> Hi,
>
> Are we thus proposing that each and every person must positively
> identify themselves prior to being subscribed to the RPD list, as well
> as for all existing subscribers to be positively identified by date X or
> be unsubscribed?? To what extend should this identification go - should
> it include affiliation checking, eg, Jaco Kroon actually JK19-AFRINIC in
> the whois db - from where you can track the networks I'm involved with?
>
> I'd be in support of such a policy change/direction.
>
> Regarding use of AI, I don't have a particular objection to the use of
> LLMs (but having worked on the Comp-Sci side of things ... I would not
> trust them without validating whatever they spit out - and recent
> experience - not restricted to this ML - shows they spit out more
> garbage than most community-driven support forums), as long as they're
> used sensibly to help with formatting and/or interpretation of emails,
> not to spew out noise for the sake of noise - as what it feels has been
> done the last week or two.
>
> Kind regards,
> Jaco
>
> n 2026/07/22 15:52, Diroi Karalis wrote:
>
> > 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
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > RPD mailing list
> > RPD at afrinic.net
> > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:11:08 +0200
> From: Fundiswa Nadia Maseko <fundiswanadia2 at gmail.com>
> To: rpd at afrinic.net
> Subject: Re: [rpd] RPD Digest, Vol 222, Issue 158
> Message-ID:
>         <CABV0QcRrHfKFhTOrPUrO=
> rbjfBJEesLOjvV_f1OTFkeiLpGj0Q at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> 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:
>
> > Send RPD mailing list submissions to
> >         rpd at afrinic.net
> >
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> >         https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd
> > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> >         rpd-request at afrinic.net
> >
> > You can reach the person managing the list at
> >         rpd-owner at afrinic.net
> >
> > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> > than "Re: Contents of RPD digest..."
> >
> >
> > 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>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> >
> > 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
> > -------------- next part --------------
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> >
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> > _______________________________________________
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> > ------------------------------
> >
> > End of RPD Digest, Vol 222, Issue 158
> > *************************************
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