[governance] PIR and ETHOS Convene Community Webinar on 12/19

Tue Dec 17 11:28:27 EST 2019

George et al,

I started this email a few days back and it was in my inbox but I wanted to
send it even though this is an old thread.

I agree ISOC is an important and valued organization. One that many of us
partner with, have trusted over numerous years and have respected for its
contribution. However you conclusions are very far from where I sit. In
fact I contend the opposite:

The future of ISOC depends not on selling PIR but on maintaining it - this
sorry episode has so significantly damaged ISOC's reputation, that the
worst thing it could do now is to proceed. It should reverse its decision,
rebuild trust with the community and continue to implement its mission.

You say -* The eventual disposition of PIR should not be our primary
concern, rather it should be ensuring that the goals of ISOC that we share
with them should be furthered in the most effective manner possible.* I
think that the future of* PIR should be our primary concern, and a side
product of protecting it and .ORG, is to ensure the future of ISOC.*

A sale will result in the destabilization of .ORG and the 10 million
registrants and risks destroying ISOC in the process.

Brett

Brett Solomon
Executive Director
Access Now | accessnow.org

@solomonbrett
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Brett Solomon
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Access Now | accessnow.org

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On Fri, Dec 13, 2019 at 2:50 PM Ayden Férdeline <ayden at ferdeline.com> wrote:

> Hi George,
>
> I am afraid I don't share your optimism. But I appreciate the attempt at
> moving us forward to somewhere a little less combative.
>
> I think this webinar is premature. Yes, it is helpful to have more of a
> dialogue with Ethos Capital. But unless they are coming forward with actual
> plans - not hypotheticals, not ideas, not 'listening' for feedback - this
> webinar will just be another hour of uncertainty. What we need now is real
> information. We need to know what legal entity PIR will be becoming, what
> it's bylaws will say, what it's business model is, what the pitch to
> investors was. We don't want nor can we accept more open-ended statements
> or breakable promises.
>
> If, as a show of good faith, Ethos does start disclosing that information,
> then I agree we might be able to move forward and discuss the role of this
> advisory council. But absent this information, being well-intentioned isn't
> enough. When we're dealing with a newly-created shell company, we need real
> assurances for the future.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Ayden Férdeline
>
>
> ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
> On Friday, December 13, 2019 5:28 AM, George Sadowsky <
> governance at lists.riseup.net> wrote:
>
> The announcement of this Webinar is a very promising development.
>
> Perhaps the most prevalent constant in this debate has been secrecy, or
> lack of information, subjecting the discussion to an enormous stream of
> hypotheticals.   Ethos has been the most secretive to date, and now it
> appears that next week they are planning to discuss their plans for .org.
> I'm not sure what they will say, but I think that they deserve an equal
> opportunity to be heard.  What they say will help to inform the discussion.
>
> Sometimes in the heat of the moment we get wrapped up in an issue which,
> while important, is dwarfed by others that are forgotten in the battle.
> This may be one of those moments.
>
> Yesterday ISOC had a 90 minute webinar in which staff discussed their
> programmatic plans for the future.   I was very impressed with the
> presenters, with the programmatic thrusts being planned and executed, and
> with their willingness to be open with regard to how the plan was formed
>  --  in this case, with significant input from our community.  When being
> involved in the PIR debate, it's easy to forget that ISOC is an institution
> whose goals we share, that has done an enormous amount of good work in the
> past, and who seems dedicated to continue their efforts unabated  into the
> future.   ISOC is an enormous asset to the open Internet and to the
> Internet community.
>
> Like some of you, I felt a disappointment in the way in which the PIR
> decision was handled, and assuming at portfolio diversification was the
> goal, I believe that it could have been better achieved in a different
> manner.  But I would much rather accept and live with that disappointment
> and see ISOC succeed, than see ISOC robbed of any opportunity to continue
> its work effectively due to the lack of closure of the PIR debate.
>
> No matter how the PIR issue is resolved, we must come out of this process,
> and soon, with an ISOC that is whole, able to do its work and able to
> command the voluntary cooperation and affiliation and enthusiasm of a
> strong membership.
>
> The eventual disposition of PIR should not be our primary concern, rather
> it should be ensuring that the goals of ISOC that we share with them should
> be furthered in the most effective manner possible.  Let's remember that in
> the course of this discussion and not make it more difficult to achieve the
> real goal.
>
> George
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> George Sadowsky                                    Residence tel:
> +1.301.968.4325
> 8300 Burdette Road, Apt B-472                          Mobile:
> +1.202.415.1933
> Bethesda MD  20817-2831  USA                                    Skype:
> sadowsky
> george.sadowsky at gmail.com                http://www.georgesadowsky.org/
>
>
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