WG Review: More Instant Messaging Interoperability (mimi)

The IESG <iesg-secretary@ietf.org> Tue, 17 January 2023 17:40 UTC

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Subject: WG Review: More Instant Messaging Interoperability (mimi)
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A new IETF WG has been proposed in the Applications and Real-Time Area. The
IESG has not made any determination yet. The following draft charter was
submitted, and is provided for informational purposes only. Please send your
comments to the IESG mailing list (iesg@ietf.org) by 2023-01-27.

More Instant Messaging Interoperability (mimi)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Current status: BOF WG

Chairs:
  Alissa Cooper <alissa@cooperw.in>

Assigned Area Director:
  Murray Kucherawy <superuser@gmail.com>

Applications and Real-Time Area Directors:
  Murray Kucherawy <superuser@gmail.com>
  Francesca Palombini <francesca.palombini@ericsson.com>

Mailing list:
  Address: mimi@ietf.org
  To subscribe: https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/mimi
  Archive: https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/mimi/

Group page: https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/mimi/

Charter: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/charter-ietf-mimi/

The More Instant Messaging Interoperability (MIMI) working group will specify
the minimal set of mechanisms required to make modern Internet messaging
services interoperable. Over time, messaging services have achieved
widespread use, their feature sets have broadened, and their adoption of
end-to-end encryption (E2EE) has grown, but the lack of interoperability
between these services continues to create a suboptimal user experience. The
standards produced by the MIMI working group will allow for E2EE messaging
services for both consumer and enterprise to interoperate without undermining
the security guarantees that they provide. The working group will aim to
achieve the strongest usable security and privacy properties for each
targeted functional requirement.

Recognizing the need for a standardized security protocol to support group
key establishment, authentication, and confidentiality services for
messaging, the IETF has specified the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol
[I-D.ietf-mls-protocol] and architecture [I-D.ietf-mls-architecture]. MLS is
agnostic to the identity system used within any given messaging service; it
provides confidentiality of sessions once the participants in a conversation
have been identified. To achieve interoperable messaging, the MIMI working
group will specify how one or more identity building block technologies (for
example, X.509 certificates or Verifiable Credentials) can be used to
establish end-to-end cryptographic identity across messaging services,
assuming the use of MLS for key establishment.

Interoperable messaging in federated environments requires consensus on a
common delivery service and a transport protocol between federated domains.
Specifically, the MLS protocol requires ordering of handshake messages within
groups to ensure clients can synchronize despite asynchronous message
delivery. This working group will specify a flexible solution for transport
and delivery that takes into account typical requirements and best practices
from the industry.

Achieving interoperable messaging among MIMI-compliant services requires a
solution for the introduction problem, i.e., the ability for a user in one
application to take an identity of a target user along with the associated
application, be granted permission to initiate communications, and be able to
establish communications with the target. The working group will specify a
solution to the introduction problem, together with best practice
recommendations for functionality, configuration options, and other aspects.
The working group may also choose to specify a solution to discover the set
of preferred messaging services associated with a given identity. Express and
implied user preferences about discoverability and reachability must be
respected.

Modern messaging services commonly support numerous features including plain
and rich text, delivery notifications, read receipts, replies, reactions,
presence, and many more. The working group will identify an extensible
baseline set of messaging features and specify a content format to allow this
feature set to be implemented interoperably. This format must be usable in
the presence of E2EE. In defining the format, the working group will seek to
reuse existing primitives (especially existing semantics) including
previously defined message headers, MIME types, and URIs where practical.

In its initial phase, the working group will focus on solutions for
messaging. The working group will aim for general-purpose designs fit for
both 1:1 and multiparty messaging. The working group will not standardize new
audio/video signaling or media protocols but may recommend the use of
existing protocols and suites such as SIP and WebRTC.

The following are out of scope for the working group:

* Metadata processing to manage spam and abuse

* Interoperable mechanisms for group administration or moderation across
systems

* Extensions to the MLS protocol. If needed, requirements will be referred to
the MLS working group or other relevant working groups in the security area.

* Definition of completely new identity formats or protocols.

* Extensions to SIP, SDP, MSRP, or WebRTC.

* Development of anti-spam or anti-abuse algorithms.

* Oracle or look-up services that reveal the list of messaging services
associated with a given user identity without the user's permission.

Numerous prior attempts have been made to address messaging interoperability,
including the IETF's extensive prior work on XMPP, SIP/SIMPLE, and their
related messaging formats. The MIMI working group will draw lessons from
these prior attempts, seek to avoid re-hashing old debates, and will focus on
the minimal standards suite necessary to facilitate interoperability given
the feature set of modern messaging applications.

MIMI will communicate with related working groups as needed, including MLS,
STIR, OAUTH, GNAP, and the W3C Verifiable Credentials WG.

Milestones:

  Mar 2023 - WG adoption of framework document for messaging interoperability

  Mar 2023 - WG adoption of requirements document for messaging
  interoperability (decision about whether to forward to IESG for publication
  to be made later, by WG consensus)

  Apr 2023 - WG adoption of specification for identifier naming conventions

  Apr 2023 - WG adoption of specification for establishment of end-to-end
  cryptographic identity

  May 2023 - WG adoption of specification for delivery service and transport
  mechanisms

  May 2023 - WG adoption of specification of MLS profile

  Jun 2023 - WG adoption of specification for messaging content format

  Jun 2023 - WG adoption of specification for user discovery mechanism

  Dec 2023 - Forward framework document for messaging interoperability to IESG

  Dec 2023 - Forward specification for identifier naming conventions to IESG

  Jan 2024 - Forward specification for establishment of end-to-end
  cryptographic identity to IESG

  Jan 2024 - Forward specification for delivery service and transport
  mechanisms to IESG

  Feb 2024 - Forward specification of MLS profile to IESG

  Feb 2024 - Forward specification for messaging content format to IESG

  Mar 2024 - Forward specification for user discovery mechanism to IESG