[arin-ppml] prop266 - re-framing the discussion

[Michel Py]

I think that some of the participants in this thread have little idea of what could happen if we open Pandora's box.

Let's start with an easy one : what do we do with ARIN members who hijack DoD space ?
It is no secret that 30.0.0.0/8 has become RFC1918 bis.
They don't announce it, but they use it. I shows up in traceroutes.
https://blog.erratasec.com/2013/12/dod-address-space-its-not-conspiracy.html#.XMsp8DBKhdg

If we set-up ARIN to be the cop of the Internet, what happens if a general in the Pentagon decides that people should not be using address space that has been allocated do DoD at all, and decides that ARIN is responsible for fixing it ? Perfectly good military strategy, it's called a proxy war.
What if the DoD has that interpretation of what "hijacking" means ? Could be argued that these addresses are unique and should not be used at all.

If we go down the road that some are suggesting, some people are going to feel that they have been selectively targeted, then other people are going to feel that ARIN has not taken action when needed, the list of potential grievances is endless.

My view is that ARIN is a registry, not a law enforcement agency and I think it should stay that way.

Michel.