[Din] kick-start the discussion on DINRG charter revision

[Lixia Zhang <[e-mail]>]

We discussed about DINRH charter revision before/at IETF 115. Let's get the ball rolling now.

The current charter for DIN RG was developed in 2017. At the time, the focus was largely on recent software technologies, such as blockchains, that are commonly viewed as facilitating the decentralization of network infrastructure services. Over time, the group has gained much deeper understanding of the observed Internet consolidation. Therefore, we deem that a revision of DIN RG charter is due.

Below is a brief revision draft, likely incomplete/inadequate. It solely serves the purpose of getting a discussion started. Please offer your input on revision/addition/deletions of any parts. We plan to summarize all the inputs to produce next revision before the DINRG meeting on Thursday March 30th.

Dirk and Lixia

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The Charter for Decentralization of Internet Research Group

Recent years have witnessed the consolidations of Internet applications, services, as well as the infrastructure.  The Decentralization of Internet Research Group (DINRG) aims to provide for the IRTF/IETF community both an open forum to discuss the Internet centralization phenomena and associated potential threats, and a platform to facilitate the coordination of efforts in identifying the causes of observed consolidations and the mitigation solutions.  

DINRG's main objectives include the following:
Measurement of Internet centralization and the consequential societal impacts;
Characterization and assessment of observed Internet centralization;
Investigation of the root causes of Internet centralization, and articulation of the impacts from market economy, architecture and protocol designs, as well as government regulations;
Exploration of new research topics and technical solutions for decentralized system and application development; 
Documentation of the outcome from the above efforts; and
Recommendations that may help steer Internet away from further consolidation.

DINRG will operate as an open platform to different technology solutions, not limited to specific technical approaches. We expect DINRG to foster a better understanding of the merits and constraints of specific technologies with respect to Internet decentralization.

Way of Working 

DINRG will meet at least once per year at IETF meetings, and may hold additional meetings, either as standalone interim meetings, or co-located meetings at technical conferences and similar events. DINRG may also organize workshops that focus on specific research topics.
 
DINRG will coordinate, and leverage synergies, with other IRTF groups including T2TRG, ICNRG, and Crypto Forum RG. In addition, DINRG will also provide inputs to IAB, as well as interested external organizations such as policy makers and regulatory bodies.