Next Public TCS Working Draft and non-normative text

Hi Peter,

I am assuming you are planning another Public Working Draft of the TCS specification before the next F2F.  I was wondering how you are intending to handle non-normative text?

I understand the concern that too much non-normative text can clutter the specification and make it difficult to read.  However, I think current editor's "bare-bones" draft has cut material that is essential to understand what the normative text means.  In other word's I think there must be some use cases and explanation of how they would relate to the normative text.

For example, I think how de-identified text is handled is perhaps one of the best paths forward towards consensus.  We currently have the following normative text in the TCS:
"3.7

"Deidentified Data
"Data is deidentified when a party:

"(1) has taken measures to ensure with a reasonable level of justified confidence that the data cannot be used to infer information about, or otherwise be linked to, a particular consumer, computer, or other device;

"(2) does not to try to reidentify the data; and

" (3) contractually prohibits downstream recipients from trying to re-identify the data. 

I don't think you can understand what the normative text requires without non-normative explanation.  It's not essential to cite every possible use case, but at least some guidance for implementers is needed.
Will we be putting essential non-normative text back into the next Public Working draft?

Best regards,
John 


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John M. Simpson
Privacy Project Director
Consumer Watchdog
2701 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 112
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john@consumerwatchdog.org