Re: Challenge: was Re: Updated Nomcom 2020-2021: Result of random selection process

[Martin Duke <[e-mail]>]

On Fri, Jul 10, 2020 at 11:28 AM John C Klensin <[e-mail]> wrote:

> The attack scenario would be: suppose EvilCo [1] wants to get,
> not only two people on the Nomcom but, if possible, two of their
> most skilled committee-manipulators.  In that case, they put
> _many_ people into the Nomcom candidate pool, enough to create,
> not only high odds of getting two positions in the top ten but
> good odds of getting several of slots 11-15 as well.  Then those
> who are selected stop down in favor of of the preferred
> manipulators.  Note that redoing the random draw would not
> effect that scenario and the likelihood that more people in the
> pool would yield more top slots (as sell as more bottom slots of
> course)-- it would just reshuffle the deck.
>

I don't believe this analysis is correct. For EvilCo's plan to work, the
two preferred people have to be in positions N+1 and N+2 on the list, which
is exceedingly unlikely. If the secondary people withdraw, it's as if they
had never been on the list in terms of positioning.

What is possible is for EvilCo to increase the probability of getting
someone onto the NomCom, and if more than two people are drawn, for EvilCo
to pick which two actually serve. This eliminates the disincentive for more
staff from a single entity to volunteer, because they might bump someone
more senior or capable. That may or may not be a problem! But adding dummy
volunteers doesn't get you any closer to getting a certain person on, IIUC.