The RIRSocial Contract
RIPE 87 / Roma
23.11.27

Randy Bush <randy@psg.com>

Social Contracta theory or model that originatedduring the Age of Enlightenment
and usually, although not always,
concerns the legitimacy of theauthority of the state over theindividual
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Social Contract
What is our Social Contract with
RIPE, the NCC, and the RIRs?
What do we expect from themand them from us?

And, BTW, who are ‘we’?
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RIPE Is Not Just IP
Address Allocation
It is about Operating
the [European] Internet
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RIPE-001
Rob Blokzijl, Mats Brunel, Francois Fluckiger, Daniel Karrenberg, Olivier Martin, & Enzo
ValenteThe objective of RIPE is to ensure
the necessary administrative andtechnical coordination to allow theoperation and expansion of a panEuropean IP network.

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RIPE-001
RIPE acts as a forum for the exchange of technicalinformation and the creation of expertise on IPnetworking.
RIPE promotes and coordinates interconnection of IP
networks within Europe and to other continents.

RIPE establishes agreement on common network
management practices and the operational managementof the interconnected networks.
RIPE serves as a focal point for other common
activities of the participants related to IP networking.
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The NCC is theSecretariat of theRIPE Community
The NCC is part ofthe Community
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What this talkis NOT about
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Bureaucracy
The current ICP-2 document, ICANN
Criteria for Establishment of New
Regional Internet Registries, speaks
about the creation of an RIR. What's
missing is Expectations of an RIR andClosure of an RIR.
the above words are from a friend
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The bureaucratic
contract should
derive from andbe based on thesocial contract
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9What this talk
IS about

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The Social Contract• What do “We” expect from the RIR
system as a social contract ?
• But first, who is “We?”• The Internet Operational Community• The Users!
• Civil Society• Governments• Our great grandchildren
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The Internet has become
critical infrastructure.

Government and civil society
will play more and more ofa role.
Get over it.
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See John Curran’s
NANOG 89 Keynote“The Expanding Landscape ofInternet Governance”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Ip39Qv-Zk
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Attributes to Discuss
Open and Fair

Socially Responsible

Transparent

Capture Resistant

Civil

Cooperative

Diverse

Reviewed

Representative

Non Profit

Competent Ops

Prudent

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Open and Fair
In membership, decision making, discussion

RIPE is pretty good here. Only 40% of
North American resources holders arevoting members of ARIN (up from 17%),representing 67% of the address space
Until very recently, APNIC was actually
owned by one man. yes, of course a man
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Transparent• Finances completely open and published• All policies, internal and external openly
discussed and published• All decision making (board, exec,committees) open to all and openly
published

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Civility• In discourse, treatment of community
members, of each other• E.g. there should be an enforced codeof conduct and other modern guides

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Diversity• The usual gender, race, religion, age,etc.

• But also encourage and seriously
consider diversity of goals and opinion• Disagree and Discuss Constructively

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Representative• Of as wide a range of Stakeholders
as possible• operators• education• government• users• civil society• geography2023.11.27 RIPE Social Contract

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Operational Competence
Record keeping, usable APIs/GUIs, ...
Inter-RIR interoperability
Maybe I should not need to take a course
to use the RIRs’ services

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Governancerepresentative ofcommunity, allboards andcommittees
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Socially Responsible

EthicsJustice
Decolonialisation
Sustainability
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It is extremely critical todeal with the Venn diagramof community stakeholders
as a creative cooperation ofstewards as opposed tocompetitive constituencies ala the ICANN snake pit.
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Capture Resistance
Failures in AfriNIC,
APNIC, and ARIN

past and present
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Real External Review
by community, and notjust a community
surveyMaybe a committee ora standing task force
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Non-profit andfinanciallytransparent
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Prudent and not fancy
There is no need forglossies and marketingin a monopoly

Save Members’ Money
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Coffee!!!
Do We Need aCoffee Task Force?
☺
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Your Ideasand Dreams
Go Here2023.11.27 RIPE Social Contract

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But Not• Reinventing the Wheel• Not invented here• Empire building• Gatekeeping• Etc.
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Who Do You Call?
• Ourselves, the Community• The RIRs, e.g. the NCC• ASO, which is likely to be
drafting the new ICP-2• Civil Society
Aside: There is an ASO Nomination/Election
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Questions
Or Positions Phrased
as Questions
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