On Sep 18, 2009, at 11:24 AM, Ben Campbell wrote:

> Could technical discussions about the following be considered  
> political?
> ...
> DRM

The various mobile groups, OMA in particular (as OMA DRM was once a  
key piece of their plan) have apparently not had any trouble  
discussing DRM in mainland venues. Nor, as far as I know, have they  
encountered any "oversight" on their discourse during the meetings.  
They do tend to be much smaller groups, and talk a lot less shop over  
dinner, and be more "standards professionals" and less "activist  
intellectual" than IETFers. At times past they did have trouble  
getting "real" Internet access, but I understand that has gotten  
better over the last few years.

But I do think IETFers would be much more likely to say something  
problematic, and that IETF would be a much bigger target for agents  
provocateurs than the mobile phone standards bodies have historically  
been. If I'm finding "pushing the envelope" to be tempting, I'm sure  
that there are other folks who will find it to be irresistible. After  
all, IETF (unlike 3GPP) is not a job. It's a lifestyle. We have a lot  
more financially independent people who are just there because they  
like it than 3GPP does, and they often spend their money on "causes"  
rather than just whiskey and sex like "real" standards professionals  
do (or at least pretend to do; really we're all saving up for a flat-
screen TV, college for the kids, and a vacation in the tropics).

--
Dean


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