Internet Engineering Task Force

Open internet standards organization The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a standards organization for the Internet responsible for the technical standards of the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP). It has no formal membership roster or requirements and all its participants are volunteers. Their work is usually funded by employers or other sponsors. The IETF was initially supported by the federal government of the United States but since 1993 has operated under the auspices of the Internet Society, an American non-profit organization with local chapters around the world. Organization Governance structure of the IETF. There is no membership in the IETF. Anyone can participate by signing up for a working group mailing list or registering for an IETF meeting. The process for developing IETF standards is open and all-inclusive. Anyone can participate by joining a working group and attending meetings. Each working group normally has appointed two co-chairs (occasionally three); a charter that describes its focus, what it is expected to produce, and when. It is open to all who want to participate and holds discussions on an open mailing list. Working groups hold open sessions at I