Re: Call for volunteers: Data Protection Team

Daniel Gröber <[email protected]> Sun, 4 Jan 2026 20:14:33 +0100

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.project
Message-ID	<uw6bl3424y656wbbikuglczxzbgdkky7zwiwcgl3t4iabcbybz@blqw7nibhw63>

Hi Bart,

On Sat, Jan 03, 2026 at 01:38:24AM +0100, Bart Martens wrote:
> > Looking at the current delegation text this smells like a burnout job to me
> > (definition: high expectation + low control).
> 
> On the other hand, some volunteers might prefer a role of identifying
> possible improvements without any (legal) responsibility on decisions and
> prioritizing implementations.

Good point. However given how open Debian is anyone that wants to do this
can already do this. Just talk to people! Post ideas to the debian-project
list, maybe form an informal team and take it from there. No need for a
delegation to get started.

I'd look at the delegation as helping lower Andreas' workload on the
official side of things.

> >  - How many GDPR inquiries did the existing team receive in the last year?
> >    (or month if that's easier to check)
> 
> I think it's much more than dealing with inquiries. There should be
> people [...]

Are you volunteering? :-)

Its easy to say we should have people with motivation, but rather harder to
make the people and motivation actually materialize.

What I'm proposing is to look at what the people doing the work need to be
effective at doing the work: Is it know-how, is it delegated decision
power, is it knowing the right people in the project? (etc).

Once we know what it is they need such a delegation is much more likely to
be effective.

--Daniel

PS: I did a quick search for context on the history of the team:

 - DebConf25 BoF - which has no recording or meeting notes :(
   Did anyone reading this attend and can share a quick summary?
   https://debconf25.debconf.org/talks/224-the-data-protection-team-status-and-future/

 - 2024 DPL election: Question to all candidates: GDPR compliance review
   https://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2024/04/msg00024.html

 - DebConf22 BoF - has a recording!
   https://meetings-archive.debian.net/pub/debian-meetings/2022/DebConf22/debconf22-215-state-of-the-data-protection-team.webm

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