Eric Rescorla writes:
> I don't believe that the intent of the language you are quoting from
> RFC 2026 is to forbid private messages between WG members and the
> chairs [0] and it's quite a common practice [1]

The second link you point to is RFC 2418 specifically allowing "private
meetings" for a "design team", i.e., for a "sub-group of a working group
to develop a proposal to solve a particular problem".

Privately lobbying WG chairs regarding WG decisions isn't forming a
design team: it's a classic example of a transparency violation. (It's
also obviously not covered by the first link that you point to.)

Furthermore, there would be no need for RFC 2418 to make this specific
"private meetings" exception if off-list messages were categorically
excluded from the record-keeping requirements in Section 8 of RFC 2026.
This exception thus _contradicts_ your view of the record-keeping
requirements rather than _supporting_ it.

More importantly, the clear text of the record-keeping requirements
doesn't stop after "the archives of Working Group electronic mail
mailing lists"; it continues by including "all written contributions
from participants that pertain to the organization's standards-related
activity". When the rules are clear, claims that they were intended as
something else are neither plausible nor relevant; unless and until the
rules are changed, they have to be followed.

> If you think that RFC 2026 forbids all private communications, then
> this seems like an issue that's bigger than TLS

The TLS WG chairs and AD are keeping TLS-WG-related email secret in
violation of RFC 2026. Correcting that is within scope for the WG. I'm
not proposing changes to the rules; I'm asking the TLS WG chairs and AD
to follow the rules.

---D. J. Bernstein

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