Subject: [Trans] [Ilc] Internet-level Consensus - new list and possible BoF

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2017 15:33:27 -0800

Several applications depend on Internet-wide consensus to secure an
append-only log, provide tamper-resistant timestamps, and atomically
commit transactions across mutually distrustful parties with no
preexisting relationship. Examples include:

* The IETF trans working group is specifying data structures and
  operational mechanisms for providing secure logging and auditing of
  TLS server certificates, but lacks a mechanism for determining
  consensus among logs (or consensus about whether or not a resource
  should be logged). These functions are currently served by an
  experimental gossip protocol that can potentially be strengthened
  through global consensus.

* The Stellar payment network, is used by remittance companies to trade
  currencies and send payments across the Internet.

* UCSD's SPAM (Secure PAckage Manager) project relies on a secure global
  log both to enable revocation of previously published vulnerable
  software packages and to guarantee that a particular software release
  has been publicly available for audit (somewhat like certificate
  transparency).

* Stellar has an ongoing secure naming project that aims to allow domain
  name owners to assign human-readable names to end-user public keys
  without retaining the ability to lie about those public keys
  undetected.

We have just created a new IETF mailing mailing list to discuss such
applications, the mechanisms that can meet their consensus needs, and a
potential role of the IETF in devising a stable specification for an
Internet-level consensus mechanism.  The home page for the list is here:

        https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ilc

If there is interest in the topic, we would like to organize a BoF in
Chicago.  Please join the discussion on the list if you might be
interested in participating.

David