[governance] NomCom and conflicts of interest

[Milton L Mueller]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: McTim [mailto:dogwallah at gmail.com]
> But this exclusion, extends to more than just the RIRs and ICANN
> doesn't it?  Theoretically, NREN staff, ccTLD staff, (even if they are
> NGO employed), CAIDA, ISOC, ROSNIIROS, NLnet Labs, Merit Networks,
> IIJ, ISC, ISI, non-profit IXP staff, JPNIC, and dozens more CS
> Internet coordination and infrastructure groups.  Potentially, we
> could be excluding thousands of people.

Hold on. I thought we were discussing who the _IGC_ (this caucus) should
nominate to be on the MAG. We are not discussing who should be
categorically excluded from participation in IGF as a whole. 

> Do we really want to do that Milton?

If "we" means IGC, possibly not (see comments below) If it means IGF as
a whole, certainly not. The IGC/IGF distinction is important, of course.

As I have said, I think it is relevant and legitimate to recognize a
"potential conflict of interest" between IG agencies' staff and
principals and the Forum's discussion of those agencies' policies and
processes. 

But as a hypothetical, supposed someone from RIR staff or a regular
consultant to a RIR participated in our discussions and showed that s/he
was an independent, intelligent and critical thinker who recognized
problems, was not afraid to identify and talk about problems, and was
willing to entertain reform proposals. It is quite possible that such a
person could, over time, generate trust among the members of IGC, and
that s/he would be nominated to represent civil society on the MAG. 

Of course, we should be aware of organizational constraints (could this
person be muzzled or fired by their organization if they said "the wrong
thing?")  

So we may agree, there should be no simplistic, categorical exclusion of
people from nongovernmental I* organizations, but of course we should be
aware of potential conflicts of interest, imbalances, hidden agendas,
and dual identities. 

--MM

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