Advisory Committee Meeting, April 2024
Daniel Appelquist @torgo@mastodon.social
https://w3.org/tag/ | https://tag.w3.org/ (Current Work)
Technical Architecture Group: Guiding the W3C Technical Agenda
Technical architecture is about interfaces, system design, principles & connecting people:
cross-cutting concerns.
What is the TAG?
Chartered in W3C process to:
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document and build consensus around principles of Web architecture and to interpret and clarify these principles when necessary;
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resolve issues involving general Web architecture brought to the TAG;
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help coordinate cross-technology architecture developments inside and outside W3C.
What does that mean?
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Write architectural documents: findings, principles & guidelines;
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Review new specifications & help where we can;
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Work with others to identify key emerging topics;
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We don't write standards.
Daniel Appelquist (Invited Expert) co-Chair
Matthew Atkinson (Samsung)
Hadley Beeman (Invited Expert)
Tim Berners-Lee (W3C) Emeritus Chair
Amy Guy (Digital Bazaar)
Yves Lafon (W3C) staff contact
Peter Linss (Invited Expert) co-Chair
Dapeng (Max) Liu (Alibaba Group)
Tess O'Connor (Apple)
Martin Thomson (Mozilla)
Lea Verou (Invited Expert)
8 elected, 3 appointed (2 unfilled),
1 emeritus chair (Tim),
1 staff contact
Sangwhan, Dan, Tess, Yves, Lea, Hadley, Amy, Matthew
Martin, Max, Peter
Our last F2F, January 2024, hosted by Apple in London
Current work of the TAG
- Reviewing others' work: primarily design reviews
- including design principles, security & privacy questionnaire, a11y questionnaire, privacy principles
- 43 design reviews completed so far in 2024
- Writing down the high level principles of the web: ethical web principles, findings, design principles, etc...
- Convene task forces when necessary
- Technical governance and oversight
- Play a role in cross-organization liaisons
- Review charters
- Help to resolve formal objections via Council process
- Inform technical strategy
Value of Design Review
- For some, the first port-of-call for wide review
- We highlight privacy, security, internationalisation, accessibility issues and recommend further detailed reviews in these areas if warranted
- We are part of "W3C wide review"
- We ideally want to provide value earlier in the design process
- Design principles, Security & Privacy Questionnaire, Accessibility Questionnaire, Privacy Principles, etc...
- "Early" design review for emerging ideas
- We flag issues like lack of multi-stakeholder or multi-implementer support
- We encourage people to work together rather than in silos
How does the TAG work?
The TAG holds 5 video call breakouts per week (commitment to attend 2) and we hold a plenary call once every 2 weeks.
In January, we held a 3-day F2F in London. In September 2023, we held a "virtual F2F" with a 4-day schedule comprised of 18 breakout sessions across 3 time zone groups.
All minutes are posted to: https://github.com/w3ctag/meetings/
How does the TAG Provide Technical Leadership?
Step 1: Identify a key area of work where TAG can make an impact
Step 2:
Articulate this problem and then work with others to make that impact.
Case Study: Securing the Web
TAG identified a problem: pervasive monitoring
IETF RFC: "pervasive monitoring is an attack."
We worked with W3C team, IETF (IAB) colleagues and others on a workshop ("STRINT").
We issued a finding: "Securing the Web".
Now this is part of our technical culture.
Web Platform Design Principles
General design principles for
new web features.
Incorporates our "learnings" from the design review process.
API Design Across Languages
HTML / CSS / JavaScript
Events
Web IDL / Types / Units
OS "Wrapper" APIs
Naming
Now with extra Priority of Constituencies!
Ethical Web Principles
High level principles that can guide our standardization work here in W3C and guide development of best practices and design principles across the consortium. What should we be working on here? What differentiates the web from other platforms?
Privacy Principles
Privacy is a key differentiator for web. This sets out a comprehensive set of definitions about what we talk about when we talk about privacy on the web along with specific, actionable design principles that can be used by API designers, web developers, and browser makers.
Ethical Web Principles
Introduction that seeks to differentiate the web
on ethical grounds.
12 high-level principles.
Not intended to be actionable in itself :
this document informs our other work.
Complements the AB "vision" document.
Quoted and referenced in UN report on "Human rights and technical standard-setting processes for new and emerging digital technologies"
Privacy Principles
Defining privacy on the web
Discussion of key concepts
Principles applicable to API designers, browser makers & web developers
New Territory: Statements
The TAG is requesting two of its documents to be ratified as W3C Statements
What's a Statement?
A W3C Statement is a Note that has been endorsed by W3C as a whole. In order to elevate a Note to W3C Statement status, A group must:
- show that the document has received wide review.
- record the group’s decision to request publication as a W3C Statement.
- show that all issues raised against the document since its first publication as a Note have been formally addressed.
- provide public documentation of any Formal Objections.
Why are we seeking Statement status?
They already represent TAG consensus. We want to elevate these documents to W3C consensus to give them additional credibility and impact.
These documents have both been, and continue to be, subject to wide review in the community.
We're on github: https://github.com/w3ctag
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