[Chapter-delegates] Event sponsorship and GDPR

[Michiel Leenaars]

Hi Christine,

thanks for reaching out. I'm very interested in the work of the OTA,
and any not-for-profit events we are affiliated with as Internet
Society. However, I think you will agree that the wording of the mail
read entirely like an advertorial for this particular event from
RSA/Dell. 

Noting again the distrust that particular company raised
around the world when they took millions of dollars in payments from an
aggressive state actor to sell compromised technology to other
governments as well as other victims, I would take some more distant
approach towards endorsing them. 

E.g. the title was "Special Offer for Members: RSA Discount"
and the background on OTA you mention only came after a generic
marketing email text:
 
> The next RSA Conference will take place in San Francisco from 16 to
> 20 April 2018. This conference offers a unique opportunity to learn
> new information about security approaches, discover the latest
> technology and meet security leaders and pioneers.

My mail was not meant as a judgment, but as feedback that from our
chapter we do not appreciate email to our members that contains this
kind of uncritical marketing language - at least not clearly isolated
from 'normal' messages. So the suggestion I made was that it would make
sense to create a separate opt-in list for this, because indeed the
sender and context of a message do really matter. A mailing list with
marketing messages is different from a community list. 

I personally do not feel completely comfortable endorsing RSA or its
event to the wider internet community. However, offering as many
discounts as we can is fine, in an isolated context that is. I'm sure
that some members and companies will appreciate such a list.

Best,
Michiel