Ballot FORUM-021

Proposed by Clint Wilson of Apple and endorsed by Tim Hollebeek of DigiCert and 
Tim Callan of Sectigo.

Purpose of Ballot

The CA/Browser Forum publishes Final Guidelines representing technical 
requirements about nuanced and challenging PKI implementations. It is proposed 
that the establishment of a Definitions and Glossary Working Group will assist 
the Forum as a whole, and its individual Chartered Working Groups, in the 
following ways:

1. Clarity and Consistency: Standardizing the definitions of terms will help 
Members and other interested parties have a clearer understanding of the 
terminology being used. This should reduce ambiguity and confusion, while 
increasing consistency in interpretation and use across Working Groups and 
Final Guidelines.
2. Effective Communication: A Glossary enables more effective communication 
among Members, as well as with external stakeholders such as industry partners, 
regulatory bodies, and other standardization organizations. It helps to ensure 
that everyone involved in the process is speaking the same language and, as 
such, may have a positive impact beyond the Forum alone.
3. Quality: By establishing a Glossary, the Forum can focus efforts on 
enhancing the quality and accuracy of the language used in published 
Guidelines. The availability of consistent, high-quality terminology reduces 
the risk of misunderstandings, errors, and misinterpretations that could 
undermine the effectiveness of the Forum.
4. Accessibility and Learning: For new Members or observers of the Forum, 
having a centralized Glossary provides a valuable resource for learning the 
specialized terminology used here. As with Guidelines in general, a focused 
Glossary can reduce the learning curve associated with understanding, 
implementing, and complying with complex baseline requirements documents.
5. Cross-referencing and Interoperability: A well-defined Glossary facilitates 
cross-referencing between Guidelines and promotes interoperability between the 
Forum’s Chartered Working Groups as well as external systems, products, 
processes, and people that rely on mutual understanding of shared terminology. 
6. Feedback and Iterative Improvement: Building and maintaining a Glossary 
provides a framework for soliciting and receiving feedback from industry 
stakeholders and continuously improving the clarity and accuracy of the 
definitions over time. As new terms emerge or existing definitions evolve, the 
Glossary can be updated, ensuring that the Forum remains current and responsive 
to industry changes.

Following the passage of this ballot:

A new Definitions and Glossary Chartered Working Group will be formed under the 
CA/Browser Forum, as outlined in section 5.3.1 of the Bylaws;
A Mailing list(s), GitHub repository(ies), and Wiki resource(s) will be 
established as needed to enable the D&G WG to fulfill its charter;
The D&G WG will collaborate with other CWGs in the Forum as stipulated in the 
charter found below; and
The D&G WG will produce and maintain a Glossary document.

MOTION BEGINS

Establish Definitions and Glossary Working Group

Upon approval from the CA/Browser Forum by ballot in accordance with section 
5.3 of the Forum Bylaws, the Definitions and Glossary Working Group (“DGWG”) is 
created to perform the activities as specified in the Charter as found here: 
https://github.com/cabforum/forum/compare/9805b6976e7a7ac391048d4eadb4379aa956110b...2b2b081a224031050aedf9404d9ce50344a468e8

MOTION ENDS

The procedure for approval of this ballot is as follows:

Discussion (7+ days)

Start Time: 2024-Mar-21 15:00 UTC
End Time: After 2024-Mar-28 15:00 UTC

Vote for approval (7 days)

Start Time: TBD
End Time: TBD

Attachment: smime.p7s
Description: S/MIME cryptographic signature

_______________________________________________
Public mailing list
Public@cabforum.org
https://lists.cabforum.org/mailman/listinfo/public

Reply via email to