[TLS] Request to the Working Group Chairs (according to RFC 2026 Section 6.5.1 in conjunction with RFC 2418 Section 3.4) – Re: Improving the quality of the discussion on the TLS email list

[Ken Kubota <[e-mail]>]

[Request to the Working Group Chairs (according to RFC 2026 Section 6.5.1 in conjunction with RFC 2418 Section 3.4)]
[Response to Rich Salz]

In the event of a conflict, the first step in the escalation ladder involves the WG Chairs [1, 2].

Attempting to bypass this step (your second suggestion) by filing an appeal now would lead to an automatic rejection of the appeal, as outlined in [2].
Similarly, attempting to discuss this directly without the WG Chairs (your first suggestion) will waste time and resources, yet yield no resolution regarding the decision in question.

If you are genuinely concerned about resolving this conflict, please also urge the WG Chairs to fulfill their responsibility in actively resolving the issue by participating in the discussion on this mailing list.

Numerous complaints have been lodged by experts from academia, industry, and government.
The decision based on an alleged "rough consensus" [3] was announced on "Sun, 19 July 2026 11:31 UTC" [3].
To comply with the two-month deadline for complaints, an appeal must be filed no later than
    September 18th
("All appeals must be initiated within two months of the public knowledge of the action or decision to be challenged." [4]).

Due to the protracted standard escalation process [1], the relatively tight deadline, and the lack of response from the WG Chairs -- not only to the many complaints, but also to my email sent on 17 July [5] --, it has now become incumbent upon the Chairs to participate in this discussion here on this mailing list.

For this reason, I am forwarding this message to the address [e-mail] listed in [6], to ensure all Chairs (Deirdre Connolly, Joseph A. Salowey, Sean Turner) [7] receive it.

To resolve this highly contentious issue in a constructive and fair manner, the WG Chairs are requested to reply by
    Sunday, August 9, 2026
to all open emails, rather than providing merely summarizing statements, ensuring that all objections are fully addressed.

Kind regards,

Ken Kubota

____________________________________________________

Ken Kubota
https://doi.org/10.4444/100



[1] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/tls/ByLJ7Kf1EbP2fESF5R4KRhkKPsE/
"    ... going through the standard escalation ladder
    Working Group's chair(s) -> Area Director(s) -> IESG -> IAB [1]
    prior to escalating to a higher instance
    (according to RFC 2026 Section 6.5.1 in conjunction with RFC 2418 Section 3.4) ...,"

[2] https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/iesg/appeals/artifact/315
"taken in specific instances by WG Chairs should be raised through the conflict resolution practices outlined in Section 3.4 of RFC2418 and Section 6.5 of RFC2026."

[3] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/tls/tPe7m_vpmDco43588yVW3JWrb8U/

[4] https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2026/#section-6.5.4

[5] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/tls/ZEmoMBkoOu9uLeZe0zcettVy5qY/

[6] https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/tls/email/

[7] https://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/tls/about/



> Am 01.08.2026 um 14:16 schrieb Salz, Rich <rsalz=[e-mail]>:
> 
> On 7/31/26, 8:24 PM, "Ken Kubota" <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 
> Please show me where in 2026 and/or 2418 where it says that the reasoning behind all decisions must be made public.  Perhaps take a look at the definition of formal record in [1] and the discussion of how to determine consensus at [2].
> 
> If you don’t like the decision the chairs have made, you can appeal it. The appealing body will look at the evidence and decide who is right. This is not a court of law, there is no testimony, diaries, notes about discussions, or the like.
> 
> [1] https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2026/#section-8
> [2] https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2418/#section-3.3
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