Reviewing for privacy in internet and web standard-setting

Abstract

The functionality of the Internet and the World Wide Web is determined in large part by the standards that allow for interoperable implementations, as a result, the privacy of our online interactions depends on the work done within standard-setting organizations. But how do the organizational structure and processes of these multistake holder groups affect the engineering of values such as privacy? This paper reviews the history of considerations for security and privacy in Internet and Web standard-setting, the impact of Snowden surveillance revelations and reactions to them, and some trends in how we review for privacy in Internet and Web standards.