[Osmf-talk] Hostile takeover of the OpenStreetMap Foundation?

[Minh Nguyen]

Vào lúc 09:05 2022-11-22, Simon Poole đã viết:
>
> Am 22.11.2022 um 15:49 schrieb Allan Mustard:
>> Data do not support the contention that the US has dominated OSM. 
>
> I was specifically referring to representation in the OSMF. 
> Historically most contributors to OSM have been based in Europe, with 
> something around 10% in the US [1], current daily numbers would 
> indicate again roughly 10% based in the US and roughly 10% in Germany 
> [2].
>
>> The largest contingent in the consistently active OSM community is 
>> European, with Germany the largest contributor of community members 
>> by far.[1]  Until two years ago all local chapters were in Europe.[2] 
>> The OSMF Board currently has one US citizen member (Mikel Maron), one 
>> Filipino, one Irish, one Luxembourg, one French, and two German 
>> members (i.e., 5 out of 7 board members are European).[3]  The 
>> previous board had two US citizens (Mikel plus me), one Filipino, and 
>> four European  members.[4][5]
>>
> For a good 11 (if not 12) years of the 15 years of its existence the 
> OSMF has had an US citizen or US resident as its chairperson and 
> typically there has always been at least one other US citizen as a 
> director (the exception being 2012). [3]
>
> Germans have also been well represented with at least one German 
> national always being present (though currently we have a peak).
>
> I have no problems with either statistic, given the practical, 
> cultural and economic issues that limit the pool of viable candidates 
> given the current modus operandi as mostly executive board.
>
>> During my two years on the board I perceived no efforts on the part 
>> of U.S. corporate members or donors to exert influence on the board, 
>> aside from periodic expressions of concern about the stability of the 
>> platform (which concern was shared broadly across the entire 
>> community).[6][7]
>>
> My comments were made as response to the implicit claim that the US 
> community is not getting its fair share in OSMF governance because the 
> Germans are out to get them, which, see above, is obviously 
> hilariously untrue.

I don’t see Brian claiming that the U.S. community is currently getting 
short shrift. What I do see is a valid concern that someone in a 
position of authority appears to be promoting the interests of one 
subset of the membership at the expense of another subset – the “out to 
get them”, as it were. It would be easier to pass off Roland’s remarks 
as inartful wording in translation, except that it dovetails with what 
Roland campaigned on last year. In his response to the official 
questionnaire, he describes the role of a board member akin to that of a 
legislator representing a specific constituency. [1] This approach is 
objectively incorrect as a matter of law and impractical for a 
seven-member board that claims to support a global project. So I hope 
that Roland takes this opportunity to clarify any misunderstanding and 
affirm that he represents all the members in good faith, even if he may 
come from a certain perspective or with a certain set of priorities. 
Otherwise, this is effectively a conflict of interest in a potentially 
broad range of matters.

Separately, there’s the issue of transparency. osmf-talk is a good place 
for the board to communicate with the membership, but if Roland wishes 
to communicate more directly to German speakers to encourage that 
community’s participation in the electoral process, that’s a very 
positive step worth emulating in other communities. When doing so, 
there’s a very fine line to walk: it is inappropriate to intentionally 
use language as a tool to pit one subgroup against another. As this 
episode has shown, it can also backfire, because we’re fortunate to 
enjoy the company of polyglots.

[1] 
<https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Special:PermanentLink/2220677#Roland_Olbricht_-_Q4_Do_you_have_any_previous_relevant_experience.3F>

-- 
Minh Nguyen <mxn at 1ec5.org>
Jabber: mxn at 1ec5.org; Blog: http://notes.1ec5.org/