The Web's success is drawing attention from outside its immediate technical and user community. Governments realize that a significant portion of their constituencies and markets are moving online. Furthermore, as the sophistication of one's interactions on the Web increase, so does its resemblance to the "real world." Consequently, regulators are interested in extending their "real world" mandates on commerce, culture, gambling, money laundering, taxation, data protection, and intellectual property rights to the Web. [See "Technical Constraints of Regulating Commercial Activity on the Internet".] However, the outcome is often confusing because the applied notions of identity, time, relationships, and location (jurisdiction) do not map to cyberspace. Any resulting fear, uncertainty, or doubt prevents the Web from growing as quickly as its potential merits.
This Briefing Package is a solicitation for interest among member companies who are concerned with how public policy may affect the Web. Though the W3C is not a lobbying organization, it is important for the W3C to have a better understanding of these issues so as to anticipate policy initiatives which may affect technological development. [See Public Policy Issues and The Web.] The proposed Public Policy Interest Group is a forum designed to allow the members to share information with the Consortium staff and other members about:
The Interest Group meets three times a year for two years, with meetings spread across North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific. There will also be an on-going email list associated with the Interest Group. There is no required resource commitment beyond attendance at any or all of the meetings, although registration is required for each meeting.
The Interest Group has no decision-making authority and is strictly advisory to the W3C staff. Nonetheless, we expect it to be the forum from which we will draw participants in the design of briefing packages for work related to Public Policy. It will also serve to help refine the requirement of any technical work in this area to be undertaken by W3C.
This is a new activity. Joseph Reagle <reagle@w3c.org>, W3C Policy Analyst, will be the chief W3C resource for this Interest Group.
This is a proposal for a forum in which W3C Members may exchange ideas on Web policy. The primary goal is to act as an information exchange mechanism. The primary goal is to act as an information exchange mechanism between members and from members to the W3C staff. It offers an opportunity for the membership to inform the staff and other members of their concerns and priorities in this domain. Topics of discussion are likely to include current policy developments and their affect on the Web, potential new W3C projects, and public policy strategies that promote the growth of the Web.
The purpose of the Interest Group is to act as an information interchange mechanism among its participants. The Interest Group will meet roughly every four months and will expire after two years. All meetings will be announced (with a tentative agenda and time and location of the meeting) at least four weeks prior to the meeting. Informal reports from the meetings will be provided to the W3C staff and the full Advisory Committee shortly after each meeting.
Between meetings, Interest Group members may use archived e-mail lists to raise questions or discuss issues related to Public Policy and the role of the W3C. The Interest Group will be supported by a Web page that will have this briefing package, links to the email lists, and meeting logistics. As part of the Web page, we are investigating methods for encouraging interactive discussions, staff editorials (in the W3C Newsletter), membership comments, responses and feedback.
The Chairperson of the Interest Group will be a W3C staff member (initially Joseph Reagle, Jr., W3C Policy Analyst). No decisions that affect the W3C can be made within the Interest Group, however proposals may be created and submitted to the full membership for voting if appropriate. The face-to-face meetings will be organized by the Chairperson to be consistent with their agendas and maximize the Staff's ability to learn from the forum.
W3C staff will be assigned as follows:
Interest Group Chairperson: 25% (Joseph Reagle)
Administration: 5% (Susan Hardy)
Staff funding for this Project will come from W3C membership dues.
Each member company choosing to participate in the Interest Group is expected to identify one or more individuals who will contribute to the group discussions. Members may send any number of representatives to meetings of the Interest Group, but space constraints may limit the total number of participants. No a priori commitments to the Interest Group are required. Commitments to aid in the conduct of the business of the Interest Group -- such as hosting a meeting, helping with a report or proposal -- will be welcome. While the representative from a member organization can change from meeting to meeting (especially because of the geographic rotation of the meetings) it is best to avoid this if possible.
Note:All of the meetings of the Public Policy Interest Group are full day meetings. The day following each meeting is a meeting of the Electronic Commerce Interest Group. Each year, one meeting is co-located with the International World Wide Web Conference and held on the Friday of the conference (overlapping Developers Day). The remaining meetings are on a Tuesday. Hosts are encouraged to sponsor a full week of meetings and will have an opportunity to suggest additional events, which they find particularly important, for Monday and Friday.
Tuesday 2 September 1997 Brussels, Belgium
Tuesday 6 January 1998 Seattle, WA, USA (Microsoft host)
Tuesday 21 April 1998 Brisbane, Australia (7th International
World Wide Web Conference)
Tuesday 20 October 1998 Boston, MA, USA (W3C/MIT host)
Tuesday 23 February 1999 Geneva?, Europe
Friday 4 June 1999 Toronto, Canada (8th International World Wide
Web Conference).
Tuesday 21 September 1999 Tokyo?, Japan?
This Interest Group does not expect to depend on any pre-existing intellectual property, although members and W3C staff are free to discuss their own property under the usual rules for public disclosure. No specifications will be produced. Ownership of white papers, presentations, etc. directly resulting from the Interest Group is jointly held by the authors and the W3C.
Joseph M. Reagle Jr. <reagle>
WebmasterPublic Policy Interest Group
Dear Advisory Committee Member,
This Call for Participation (CFP) and respective briefing package ( http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~jmiller/policyig.htm) constitute the W3C Staff's suggestion for creating an effective discussion forum. The goal is to discuss the impact of technology policy on the development of the Web, understand possible technical options to support various policies, and to define W3C's role in this area.
Key points for consideration are:
PARTICIPATION
The primary work of the Interest Group happens at its regularly
scheduled face-to-face meetings and on the email list between those
meetings. The meeting schedule is:
Tuesday 2 September 1997 Brussels, Belgium
Tuesday 6 January 1998 Seattle, WA, USA (Microsoft host)
Tuesday 21 April 1998 Brisbane, Australia (7th International
World Wide Web Conference)
Tuesday 20 October 1998 Boston, MA, USA (W3C/MIT host)
Tuesday 23 February 1999 Geneva?, Europe
Friday 4 June 1999 Toronto, Canada (8th International World Wide
Web Conference).
Tuesday 21 September 1999 Tokyo?, Japan?
Tuesday 2 September 1997 Brussels, Belgium
Tuesday 6 January 1998 Seattle, WA, USA (Microsoft host)
Tuesday 21 April 1998 Brisbane, Australia (7th International
World Wide Web Conference)
Tuesday 20 October 1998 Boston, MA, USA (W3C/MIT host)
Tuesday 23 February 1999 Geneva?, Europe
Friday 4 June 1999 Toronto, Canada (8th International World Wide
Web Conference).
Tuesday 21 September 1999 Tokyo?, Japan?
PROCEDURE:
PARTICIPATION PROPOSAL FORM
First Name:
Last Name:
Email Address:
Employer:
Mark if you plan to participate in the Public Policy Interest Group. The success of this interest group depends on your active participation.
[ ] Public Policy Interest Group
We will be willing to provide the following personnel resources to participate in the Public Policy Interest Group:
We have intellectual property rights related to the Public Policy Interest Group, and will dispose of them as follows:
We will participate only under the following conditions:
Other items to be considered by the W3C Director: