Re: Threat of Code of Conduct Violation (was Re: Goals and Requirements for DID Method Standardization?)

st 27. 11. 2024 v 12:17 odesílatel Will Abramson <will@legreq.com> napsal:

> MIchael,
>
> I wanted to echo what Harrison has said and add a few thoughts of my own.
>
> We take code-of-conduct violations seriously at the CCG. However, I find
> your response to Manu's initial email reporting out on the DID Method
> Standardization work strange and things have only seemed to escalate from
> there. As Markus Sabadello, the chair of the group, himself stated he has
> no problem with Manu's email. That should have been the end of the matter.
>
> Unfortunately, in this thread, it is your behaviour that I find
> challenging. Calling Manu a liar and attacking his character on this public
> forum is unacceptable. If you have concerns about the behaviour of a
> community member, please bring those to the chairs and we will handle them
> appropriately.
>
> I wholeheartedly support the comments of others in this thread
> commending Manu for his tireless, consistent contributions to the
> community, open standards and the broader identity ecosystem. While we may
> not always agree with Manu, I find it hard to understand how anyone can
> question his integrity and commitment.
>
> On the matter of the unregistered trademark, I too was disappointed to see
> your comments on issue #581 and commend Stephen and co for their
> willingness to compromise to keep the work moving forward. I had hoped that
> would be the end of the matter. It saddens me to see the diff that Brian
> referenced and understand more clearly your intentions-
> https://www.diffchecker.com/ekbLbFlD/*. *I too have the perception that
> you threatened legal action to get your desired outcome here. Indeed I
> believe the only way to claim and contest an unregistered trademark is
> through legal action.
>
> I would encourage you to reconsider how you show up and collaborate with
> others in this community.
>
> Please let us draw a line under this.
> Michael, if you or anyone else wishes to discuss this further please reach
> out privately to the chairs.
>

FWIW, I ran the github thread through some AI analysis (usual caveats) and
it concluded that Michael did NOT threaten legal action. Emotions are
understandably high here, and defensiveness is natural, but I think it’d be
helpful to get a neutral, impartial view on whether or not it's the case.


>
> Thank you,
> Will Abramson
>
> On Tue, Nov 26, 2024 at 8:51 PM Harrison <harrison@spokeo.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear Michael,
>>
>> As the W3C CCG co-chair, I would like to acknowledge your concerns and
>> opinions.  Upon reviewing the email thread, I do not see any
>> code-of-conduct violation from Manu.  W3C CCG is an open, inclusive, and
>> psychologically safe place to discuss, incubate, and work on
>> identity-related technologies wherever it comes from.  We would continue to
>> encourage you, Manu, and everyone else to continue sharing identity-related
>> news and developments across all communities around the world.
>>
>> If you feel differently about my opinion above, please feel free to reach
>> out to me at harrison@spokeo.com or any of the co-chairs directly.  It
>> is okay to have different perspectives on an issue, but let's focus our
>> discussion on the merits of the matter, not people, because I am positive
>> that all community members here have good faith.  After all, none of us is
>> getting paid to volunteer our time and efforts into this, and we are
>> putting in the hard work because we share the same self-sovereign-identity
>> vision.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> *Harrison Tang*
>> CEO
>>  LinkedIn  <https://www.linkedin.com/company/spokeo/> •   Instagram
>> <https://www.instagram.com/spokeo/> •   Youtube <https://bit.ly/2oh8YPv>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 25, 2024 at 5:42 PM Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <
>> mwherman@parallelspace.net> wrote:
>>
>>> RE: “pass off”
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Brian, is one of the following your intended meaning of “pass off”?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Michael Herman
>>>
>>> Web 7.0 Foundation / TDW
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net>
>>>
>>> *Sent:* Monday, November 25, 2024 6:26 PM
>>> *To:* Brian Richter <brian@aviary.tech>
>>> *Cc:* W3C Credentials CG <public-credentials@w3.org>; Kim Hamilton
>>> Duffy <kim@identity.foundation>; Markus Sabadello <markus@danubetech.com>;
>>> Will Abramson <will@legreq.com>; Daniel Burnett <
>>> danielcburnett@gmail.com>; Gabe.L.Cohen@gmail.com
>>> *Subject:* RE: Threat of Code of Conduct Violation (was Re: Goals and
>>> Requirements for DID Method Standardization?)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>    1. My use of the terms TDW and “Trusted Digital Web” date back to
>>>    December 2018 and they have been in continuous use since that time –
>>>    approximately 5-6 years ago.
>>>
>>> Reference:
>>> https://github.com/w3c/did-extensions/pull/581#issuecomment-2462828639
>>>
>>> Reference: https://hyperonomy.com/2018/12/31/the-trusted-digital-web/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>    2. The date of your earliest PR is only ~7 months ago (per your link
>>>    below).
>>>    3. RE: After stumbling upon your recent copy-and-paste of one of
>>>    your other DID method specs (link
>>>    <https://github.com/Web7Foundation/Specifications/blob/main/methods/did-tdw-1-0-1.md>),
>>>    as is clearly shown here <https://www.diffchecker.com/ekbLbFlD/>,
>>>    your intention to "pass off" as did:tdw in the future is clear. I strongly
>>>    urge you to back off, as the mountain of evidence in the first link above
>>>    will show that the term "did:tdw" was not coined at the Web 7 Foundation.
>>>
>>>    @Brian Richter <brian@aviary.tech>
>>>    3a. What do you mean by the remark “pass off”? …and what is your
>>>    basis for penning this remark?
>>>    3b. Why or how is the remark “copy-and-paste of one of your other
>>>    DID method specs” relevant to this discussion?
>>>    3c. How/why is the method used to prepare a DID Method specification
>>>    relevant to this discussion?
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>> Michael Herman
>>> Web 7.0 Foundation / TDW
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Brian Richter <brian@aviary.tech>
>>> *Sent:* Monday, November 25, 2024 5:14 PM
>>> *To:* Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net>
>>> *Cc:* Kim Hamilton <kimdhamilton@gmail.com>; W3C Credentials CG <
>>> public-credentials@w3.org>; Kim Hamilton Duffy <kim@identity.foundation>;
>>> Markus Sabadello <markus@danubetech.com>; Will Abramson <will@legreq.com>;
>>> Daniel Burnett <danielcburnett@gmail.com>; Gabe.L.Cohen@gmail.com
>>> *Subject:* Re: Threat of Code of Conduct Violation (was Re: Goals and
>>> Requirements for DID Method Standardization?)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *Michael,*
>>>
>>> *Some thoughts:*
>>>
>>>    1. Having spent the better part of a year developing a DID method
>>>    that has been gaining global recognition (see here
>>>    <https://github.com/search?q=did%3Atdw&type=pullrequests>), it was
>>>    heartbreaking to see your objection to the name. While I'm confident you
>>>    have no legal right to this three-letter acronym, we backed down so that we
>>>    could continue to move our work forward. You took this as a win and that
>>>    you are right... okay, fine, go ahead.
>>>    2. While reading this thread, I was disappointed to see you
>>>    attacking a community member for simply reiterating his account of a
>>>    meeting and proposing steps to move things forward, as he has consistently
>>>    done for over 10 years. Luckily, Manu has proven he has thick skin, as I
>>>    don't think I would personally be participating in this community if I
>>>    received the amount of pushback he does. It's admirable, honestly.
>>>    3. After stumbling upon your recent copy-and-paste of one of your
>>>    other DID method specs (link
>>>    <https://github.com/Web7Foundation/Specifications/blob/main/methods/did-tdw-1-0-1.md>),
>>>    as is clearly shown here <https://www.diffchecker.com/ekbLbFlD/>,
>>>    your intention to "pass off" as did:tdw in the future is clear. I strongly
>>>    urge you to back off, as the mountain of evidence in the first link above
>>>    will show that the term "did:tdw" was not coined at the Web 7 Foundation.
>>>
>>> I am not an expert on W3C or DIF's code of conduct, but I do know your
>>> behavior violates my personal code of conduct. Your actions come across as
>>> bullying and undermine the collaborative spirit of our community.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Brian
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Nov 25, 2024 at 1:58 PM Kim Hamilton <kimdhamilton@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Sorry Michael, these are different organizations; the conversation can’t
>>> be moved so simply. I will await the outcome from this community.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Nov 25, 2024 at 1:55 PM Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <
>>> mwherman@parallelspace.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> The discussion has moved to here:
>>> https://github.com/decentralized-identity/did-methods/issues/9
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>
>>> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2024 12:44 PM
>>> To: Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <mwherman@parallelspace.net>
>>> Cc: W3C Credentials CG <public-credentials@w3.org>; Kim Hamilton Duffy <
>>> kim@identity.foundation>; Markus Sabadello <markus@danubetech.com>;
>>> Will Abramson <will@legreq.com>; Daniel Burnett <
>>> danielcburnett@gmail.com>; Gabe.L.Cohen@gmail.com
>>> Subject: Re: Threat of Code of Conduct Violation (was Re: Goals and
>>> Requirements for DID Method Standardization?)
>>>
>>> Manu wrote:
>>> > If you would like to file a code of conduct violation, please do.
>>>
>>> On Mon, Nov 25, 2024 at 12:46 PM Michael Herman (Trusted Digital Web) <
>>> mwherman@parallelspace.net> wrote:
>>> > MWH>> I have and will further submit the above additional 3 claims.
>>>
>>> Good, thank you for following the community process. I trust that it
>>> will result in a just outcome.
>>>
>>> I will not be responding to this thread, your baseless accusations, or
>>> your bullying. Do not engage with me on this mailing list and do not send
>>> me any more personal email.
>>>
>>> The Chairs will take it from here.
>>>
>>> -- manu
>>>
>>> --
>>> Manu Sporny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manusporny/
>>> Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
>>> https://www.digitalbazaar.com/
>>>
>>>