Re: [Gendispatch] Updating the IETF Discussion List Charter (was: Fwd: New Version Notification for draft-eggert-bcp45bis-02.txt)

[Phillip Hallam-Baker <[e-mail]>]

On Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 4:53 PM Keith Moore <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> On 7/12/21 8:02 PM, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
>
> On Mon, Jul 12, 2021 at 7:21 PM Mark Nottingham <[e-mail]> wrote:
>
>> Somewhat relevant, courtesy of the newsclips service:
>>   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/10/business/gen-z-email.html
>
>
> Every single time someone suggests there is a user demand for something
> better than SMTP email from the 1980s that hasn't changed since MIME, they
> are aggressively patronized and told that there is absolutely no way that
> the legacy system can ever, ever be replaced.
>
> On the contrary, email is constantly being replaced with facilities that
> are far less functional.     As far as I can tell, the biggest problem with
> email is that has become so widely used by everybody and everybot, that
> one's mailbox is typically full of low-value information.  (And while the
> delete key is not hard to find, there are so many low-value messages that
> simply selecting and deleting messages is a time-consuming chore, and every
> low-value message is a nuisance.   Also, not everyone deletes messages as
> they are read.)
>
The critical flaw in all the mail alternatives is that make them less than
SMTP is that they are closed. Can't use Signal to call a Skype account.
Everyone has their walled garden, and none of the majors see any reason to
open their proprietary systems up.

But we need to go further, email is also defective as a change of mail
service provider forces me to change my email address unless I own a DNS
domain which is far more than most people on the planet can afford. (No
redirects do not solve this problem as I have to rely on the old service
provider to redirect).

And of course, end to end encryption, digitally authenticate every message
and zero effort security are table stakes.


We need a mail system that allows a user to use their human friendly name
for life. So @alice, not [e-mail]. And that name has to be really
cheap and owned by the user, not rented with an annual fee.

This is not yet operational but I think it could fit the bill:

Mathematical Mesh 3.0 Part VII: Mesh Callsign Service (ietf.org)
<https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-hallambaker-mesh-callsign-00.html>
https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-hallambaker-mesh-callsign-00.html

This architecture is targeted at personal use. DNS works OK for
organizations which is what it was designed for.


Basically it is a blockchain approach without any crypto-currency ideology
involved. The registry binds a name to a public signature key which is the
user's root of trust and the address of their current service provider.

The registry is public so you are not going to want to put an SMTP email
there unless you are a masochist. But the service provider can publish
(under suitable access control) a contact record giving SMTP, Jabber,
OpenPGP, S/MIME etc. coordinates.


Maybe there isn't interest, after all, on day 1 the only use for a
messaging scheme of this type is going to be inside organizations. But that
is where at least 80% of communication is occurring in most enterprises.
Having a separate secure email system for internal use does make sense. And
especially if it then allows communications with the lawyers, accountants,
customers, etc.