Re: [arch-d] Draft IAB conflict of interest policy

On Thu, Jan 9, 2020 at 6:29 AM John C Klensin <john-ietf@jck.com> wrote:

>
>
> --On Thursday, January 9, 2020 13:14 +0000 Stewart Bryant
> <stewart.bryant@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> On 8 Jan 2020, at 23:14, IAB Chair <iab-chair@iab.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> The IAB requires that all Covered Individuals disclose their
> >> main employment, sponsorship, consulting customer, or other
> >> sources of income when joining the IAB or whenever there are
> >> updates.
>
> > Is this to be a public or a private register of interests?
>
> Stewart's question is important for what may be an additional
> reason.  There is a fairly long history of IAB members who often
> show up as "independent" but who are full-time consultants with
> multiple clients (as distinct from those who serve in
> consulting, rather than employee, roles but with one principal
> client).  They may have, in the words of the draft, no "main
> employment, sponsorship, consulting customer, ...".  In those
> situations, it isn't terribly unusual for consulting agreements
> to contain requirements that the relationship not be disclosed
> by either party without mutual consent.  I've had little trouble
> getting consent when there is a substantive reason that doesn't
> threaten the reasons for the confidentiality provision and there
> are provisions to keep the information from becoming generally
> known, but completely public disclosures would probably not fly.
>
> I'd assume that someone working for, or a principal of, a
> stealth startup might face similar constraints.
>
> While I applaud the IAB's coming to grips with this issue, let's
> be sure we don't do anything that limits the diversity or range
> of skills and perspectives of people who can serve on  the IAB
> as an accidental side-effect of a well-intentioned policy.
>

This seems like an important point. In addition, it's not clear to me as
I read this text how I am supposed to read "main.... or other sources
of income". Surely the intention is not that people disclose all other
sources of income.

-Ekr

>    john
>
>
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