Session Date/Time: 25 Jul 2023 20:00

dinrg

Summary

The dinrg meeting at IETF 117 focused on internet centralization and potential mitigating solutions. The discussions included platform decay, the economics of digital infrastructure, and ideas for decentralized communication methods. The rechartering of the group was announced.

Key Discussion Points

Platform Decay (Corey Doctorow):
- Platforms progress through stages: offering surpluses to users, withdrawing surpluses for business customers, and then withdrawing all value for shareholders ("shitification").
- Facebook was used as a case study to illustrate this process.
- Interoperability and low switching costs are crucial for preventing platform lock-in.
- Merger policing and IP law contribute to the problem.
- Proposed solutions include restoring the end-to-end principle and establishing a right to exit (data portability).
Ecosystem Evolution and Digital Infrastructure Policy (Volker Stocker and Bill Lehr):
- The Internet ecosystem is increasingly complex and diverse, with evolving value chains.
- Essential digital infrastructure includes more than just broadband connectivity (e.g., cloud computing).
- Most investment will be market-driven, but public funding has a role.
- New forms of network sharing and resource allocation are needed.
- Policy issues: network management, interconnection, universal service, competition, cybersecurity, privacy, AI regulation.
- Collaboration between technical experts and policymakers is crucial for informed, evidence-based policy.
Decentralized Communication (Christian Choudin):
- Proposed a "generic right" for each individual to send a small amount of data (200 bytes/month) using any means, bypassing centralized platforms.
- Aimed at solving the "rendezvous problem" in decentralized environments.
- Shortwave radio was presented as a possible means of decentralized communication.
- Discussion on trust infrastructure and key management in decentralized systems.

Decisions and Action Items

Encourage further discussion on the dinrg mailing list.
Tobias Vivek to share his paper with the group.

Next Steps

Explore different documentation formats for IRTF research groups, beyond traditional Internet Drafts and RFCs.
Continue discussions on output formats and proposals on how to work with IETF processes.