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Kantara Initiative is an independent non-profit organization formed as a Program of IEEE-ISTO (www.ieee-isto.org) for secretariat and legal support. Kantara Initiative is governed by a volunteer Leadership Council made up of the Chairs of all IDTBD Work Groups. It is funded by the support of Members, especially Trustee level Members. Anyone who wishes to make the financial investment in Kantara Initiative can be a Trustee. The heart of Kantara Initiative is its Work Groups and Discussion Groups. Membership is encouraged but not required for being a full voting Participant in any Work Group or Discussion Group (and non-Members can serve on the Leadership Council).
What is the organizational, membership and fee structure of Kantara Initiative? How does this differ from other industry organizations?
Kantara Initiative is unique in that it has been organized to ensure that there are zero barriers to participation, which means all individuals and organizations are able to participate in the development of Kantara Initiative output. Kantara Initiative membership fees have been established to keep the organization financially stable over the short and long-term and to ensure the widest possible participation - at all levels - among the vendor, deployer, developer, open source, legal and privacy communities.Kantara Initiative membership levels and fees are outlined at INSERT LINK A full membership kit, information and fees is available in the Membership section.
Membership Level*
NP LIC L0 L1 L2 L3
Trustee: $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $30,000 $50,000
Member: No Fee $100 $1,000 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000
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LIC = "Individual Contributor" = an individual
NP = "Non-Profit" = any non-governmental non-profit organization
L0 = "Level 0" = 1-100 employees
L1 = "Level 1" = 101-1000 employees
L2 = "Level 2" = 1001-25000 employees
L3 = "Level 3" = more than 25000 employees
Is Kantara Initiative a Standards Setting Organization?
Kantara Initiative is not a standards setting organization for technical specifications. The output of Kantara Initiative is called a Recommendation. Any kind of work can be done in Kantara Initiative but if the work is a technical specification it must be submitted to an SSO upon completion. Other "standards" work such as Operational Frameworks or Usability Guidelines or Interoperability Testing Procedures are the primary focus of Kantara Initiative and will be both developed and maintained by the organization.
Why was Kantara Initiative formed?
It was formed by leaders of other foundations and associations working on various aspects of digital identity, aka "the Venn of Identity" to be robust and well-funded focal point for collaboration to address the issues we each share: Interoperability & Compliance Testing, Identity Assurance, Policy & Legal Issues: Privacy, Ownership & Liability, UX & Usability, Cross-Community Coordination & Collaboration, Education & Outreach, Market Research, Use Cases & Requirements, Harmonization, and Tool Development.
Why does Kantara Initiative have multiple IPR Policies?
Due to the nature of Kantara Initiative, as a focal point for collaboration between stakeholders across the Venn of Identity, we have chosen an IPR regime that is inclusive. There is a list of pre-approved IPR Policies that founders of a Work Group can choose from. In addition, there is a clear process for proposing a new IPR Policy to the Leadership Council in a WG proposal which will be taken to the Board of Trustees for approval. We have every expectation the list of IPR Policies will grow as the community takes advantage of the Kantara Initiative infrastructure for collaboration. A link to Kantara Initiative A list of available IPR policiesis available at INSERT LINK.
What Commitment Must I make To Get Involved in Kantara Initiative?
There are various levels of involvement. You can join Discussion Groups with no commitment. If you wish to join a Work Group you need only agree to the IPR Policy being used by that Work Group.
What does Kantara Initiative hope to accomplish?
Our collective goal is to speed the adoption of an interoperable, secure and privacy-respecting Internet, spanning applications, devices and fixed and mobile networks by bringing the enterprise, government and Web communities together to address and solve pressing harmonization and interoperability challenges in the identity sector.
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