[Osmf-talk] AoA changes in Dec?

[Clifford Snow]

On Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 8:02 AM Allan Mustard <allan at mustard.net> wrote:

> It's called takeover protection, with a particular eye on any attempted
> hostile takeover.  OSM community includes a lot of very intelligent people,
> including some with good statistical backgrounds, who can certainly draw
> statistical inferences if a high percentage of employees of company X is
> correlated with a number of votes for a particular resolution or
> candidate.  The essence is as you describe, but the point is not to
> disenfranchise, per se, but rather to dissuade employers from seeking to
> influence how the community votes in an organized manner.   This would not,
> incidentally, require an amendment to the AoA, but rather adoption of a
> policy by the OSMF membership.  The Board already has the authority under
> the AoA to expel members.  If you have better ideas for takeover
> protection, now would be a good time to propose them.
>
The suggestion that we might disenfranchise voters because of a statistical
inference is not something that I would ever vote for. A group of employees
might vote for a candidate because they know and respect the person running
for office. That we would even suggest their votes not count doesn't
conform to our Mission Statement.

My suggestion is to continue to expand the OSMF membership. The members
will protect OSM from a takeover. The recent decision that allows people to
join with just 42 edits is a good first step. Right now our membership is
still small compared to the number of active mappers. I would encourage the
Board to find ways to significantly improve that percentage. A good start
would be to see a goal for 2021.

Best,
Clifford

-- 
@osm_washington
www.snowandsnow.us
OpenStreetMap: Maps with a human touch
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