Hi Trev,
Thanks for your comments.  I have revised section 3.3 of the working draft
to add an effective date of October 15, 2026, and also made other changes.
See
https://github.com/BenWilson-Mozilla/pkipolicy/commit/c555615430fd188db394503baad6c62981e15aa8
.
Thanks again,
Ben

On Tue, May 12, 2026 at 12:58 PM 'Trevoli Ponds-White' via
[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

> I like the updates Ben. I have a few comments
>
> 1) 3.3.3 Implementation Commitments" should probably have a further future
> date. This policy provides more clarity and people may want to edit their
> CP/CPS.
>
> 2) "multiple external documents." This could use some examples or
> additional clarity. For example Mozilla has a few places where CAs are
> required to "communicate to subscribers" this is generally done with the
> Subscriber Agreement not the CP/CPS. Is this saying we need to duplicate
> the text that is also in the Subscriber Agreement into the CP/CPS with some
> language like "we comply this with this by putting the following in the
> Subscriber Agreement..." or is that not considered an external document and
> instead some extension of the CP/CPS?
>
> Thanks!
>
> On Friday, May 8, 2026 at 11:23:54 PM UTC-7 Roman Fischer wrote:
>
>> Hi Ben,
>>
>>
>>
>> Your suggested wording makes the intention clear to me. And section 7 is
>> also IMHO very clear and useful to ensure traceability over past versions
>> of the documents.
>>
>>
>>
>> Rgds
>> Roman
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Ben Wilson <[email protected]>
>> *Sent:* Freitag, 8. Mai 2026 17:46
>> *To:* Roman Fischer <[email protected]>
>> *Cc:* [email protected]
>> *Subject:* Re: MRSP 3.1: Issue #s 282 and 295: CP/CPS Documentation
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Aaron and Roman,
>>
>> Thanks for your feedback and questions. The CCADB has two fields
>> implicated here:
>>
>>    - the “CA Document Repository” field, which identifies repository
>>    locations and may contain multiple URLs as a semicolon-separated list; and
>>    - the “Document Link” field(s), which identify the specific URLs for
>>    the actual CP/CPS documents themselves.
>>
>> Because the CCADB separately tracks the specific document URLs, I am
>> considering emphasizing those specific document links over the "repository”
>> concept. In other words, the CCADB still collects the repository location,
>> which is a useful reference when browsing a CA operator’s website to locate
>> related CP/CPS documentation, but I think it's less important from a
>> filing/compliance perspective now that the CCADB stores direct document
>> links separately.
>>
>> I am currently considering abbreviating the language to something like:
>>
>> “CA operators MUST ensure that CP/CPS Documentation is made publicly
>> available in a structured, text-based format (e.g. Markdown, AsciiDoc, or
>> equivalent) and in a manner that preserves publicly accessible version
>> history. CA operators MUST ensure that the current location (URL) of each
>> CP/CPS document is accurately disclosed and maintained within the CCADB.”
>>
>> I’ve tried to avoid being overly prescriptive in order to preserve
>> flexibility.
>>
>> What are your thoughts?  Will this approach adequately addresses your
>> concerns, or should we take a different one?
>>
>> Also, are your concerns related to subsection 7 (document archiving)?
>> Should that paragraph be edited too?
>>
>> Thanks again,
>> Ben
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, May 8, 2026 at 1:13 AM 'Roman Fischer' via
>> [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> I'm a bit confused: Does this mean that the disclosed location should be
>> the repository (typically a webpage or github repo) where the current and
>> the archived versions are listed or the URL of the current CP/CPS document
>> (typically a Markdown file hosted somewhere) or an array of URLs of the
>> current and previous versions of the CP/CPS document?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thx
>> Roman
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* 'Aaron Gable' via [email protected] <
>> [email protected]>
>> *Sent:* Mittwoch, 6. Mai 2026 04:11
>> *To:* [email protected]
>> *Cc:* Ben Wilson <[email protected]>; Wayne <[email protected]>;
>> [email protected] <[email protected]>; Aaron Gable <
>> [email protected]>
>> *Subject:* Re: MRSP 3.1: Issue #s 282 and 295: CP/CPS Documentation
>>
>>
>>
>> I think that's much better. One potential issue: if a CA maintains a
>> separate CP and CPS (I believe still acceptable in v3.1), they could be in
>> different GitHub repositories. This would make disclosing a single URL in
>> the "Document Repository" field difficult, as it could only point to one or
>> the other.
>>
>> On Monday, April 27, 2026 at 1:08:54 PM UTC-10 Ben Wilson wrote:
>>
>> What about this formulation of Item 2 under MRSP section 3.3?
>>
>> 2. CA operators MUST maintain CP/CPS Documentation in a structured,
>> text-based format suitable for version control (e.g., Markdown, AsciiDoc,
>> or equivalent), host such documentation in a publicly accessible repository
>> or equivalent system that provides publicly accessible version history, and
>> ensure that the current, publicly accessible locations (URLs) of that
>> CP/CPS documentation are disclosed in, and kept up to date within, the
>> CCADB “Document Repository” field.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> Ben
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Apr 26, 2026 at 11:47 AM Ben Wilson <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Aaron,
>>
>> Thanks for these comments.
>>
>> You’re right that the draft hasn't explicitly addressed location of
>> documentation disclosure and archiving.
>>
>> One idea is to leverage the CCADB field “Document Repository” or to
>> create an adjacent field to specify archival locations.
>>
>> I am considering adding the following requirement to MRSP Section 3.3:
>>
>> “CA operators MUST ensure that the location (URL) of their CP/CPS
>> Documentation is disclosed and maintained in the CCADB 'Document
>> Repository' field.”
>>
>> However, that alone will be inadequate. We'll need to amend the CCADB
>> Policy and/or provide guidance for use of the “Document Repository” field
>> (and possibly add another field for archival locations) to clarify the use
>> of the(se) field(s) and ensure uniformity and consistent implementation.
>> For example:
>>
>> “The ‘Document Repository’ field MUST contain one or more URLs that
>> provide access to the CA Owner’s current CP/CPS Documentation. Where CP/CPS
>> Documentation is maintained in a version-controlled repository, the URL
>> MUST reference the repository or a stable landing page that clearly
>> identifies the current version and provides access to prior versions or
>> version history. CA Owners MUST ensure that this field is kept accurate and
>> up to date.”
>>
>> What are everyone's thoughts on this, and Is another CCADB field needed
>> to point to the archival repository (even if they are both in the same
>> location)?
>>
>> Ben
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Apr 24, 2026 at 1:11 PM Aaron Gable <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I concur, the changes related to CPS content seem good and don't seem
>> onerous.
>>
>>
>>
>> I have one minor concern: Section 3.3(2) says that CAs must keep their
>> CP/CPS Documentation in markdown in a public repo, but doesn't say how the
>> CA shall disclose the location of such. Linked from our website (as the
>> current version of the requirements says)? Linked from our Repository?
>> Disclosed in CCADB? Paragraph (7) of the same section does say that CAs
>> shall "maintain links to all historical versions", but it doesn't say
>> where, and my interpretation of that paragraph is that it is about
>> preventing bit-rot (i.e. old links have to continue working).
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Aaron
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 22, 2026 at 12:37 PM Wayne <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Having read the comparison of proposed changes nothing jumps out as a
>> stepback. Overall the changes seem to improve clarity, transparency, and
>> are overall a step forward for the industry.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks everyone for your hard work in getting us this far.
>>
>>
>>
>> - Wayne
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 8:23:40 PM UTC+1 Ben Wilson wrote:
>>
>> All,
>>
>> This thread begins discussion of proposed updates to the Mozilla Root
>> Store Policy (MRSP) dealing with Certificate Policy/Certification Practice
>> Statement (CP/CPS) Documentation. Throughout the MRSP, the term, “CP/CPS
>> Documentation,” will replace the phrase “CP, CPS, or combined CP/CPS”.
>>
>> Over time, CP/CPS documentation has increasingly relied on incorporation
>> by reference to the Baseline Requirements, which seems to reduce visibility
>> into CA-specific implementation details. Also, concerns have been expressed
>> in community discussions (e.g. the 2025 Roundtable, dev-security-policy,
>> and CCADB Public
>> <https://groups.google.com/a/ccadb.org/g/public/c/iZg_253IZfo/m/eC8kQnOlBgAJ>)
>> regarding the level of detail provided in CP/CPS documentation. The
>> proposed changes are intended to improve the extent to which CP/CPS
>> documentation can be used to understand and evaluate a CA operator’s actual
>> practices, rather than serve as a high-level, referential document.
>>
>> The proposed changes primarily address the following GitHub issues:
>>
>>    - #295 <https://github.com/mozilla/pkipolicy/issues/295> – Revisions
>>    to MRSP 3.3
>>    - #282 <https://github.com/mozilla/pkipolicy/issues/282> – Require
>>    Markdown/AsciiDoc for CP/CPS documentation
>>
>> Here is comparison of proposed MRSP 3.1 (as of today) vs. current MRSP v.
>> 3.0:
>> https://github.com/mozilla/pkipolicy/compare/3b7d84f5c9708cf6be9655319825d60ea338eca4...ad8e1766be6e0e9a93a64b0b71506ae923086ec5
>> .
>>
>> Here is the working branch for MRSP v. 3.1 (working draft, subject to
>> change):
>> https://github.com/BenWilson-Mozilla/pkipolicy/blob/3.1/rootstore/policy.md
>> .
>>
>>
>>
>> *Overview of Proposed Changes*
>>
>> *1. Sufficiency and Clarity of Disclosure -  #295
>> <https://github.com/mozilla/pkipolicy/issues/295>*
>>
>> The current MRSP requires that CP/CPS documentation provide sufficient
>> information to determine compliance. In practice, however, many CP/CPS
>> documents have relied heavily on incorporation by reference (e.g., citing
>> Baseline Requirements sections) without clearly describing how those
>> requirements are satisfied with implementation.
>>
>> The proposed changes clarify that CP/CPS documentation must describe the
>> CA operator’s *implementation* of applicable requirements, not merely
>> identify them.
>>
>> Under this approach:
>>
>>    - *3.3.1*  CP/CPS documentation is expected to provide CA-specific
>>    detail sufficient for a technically competent reviewer to understand how
>>    validation, issuance, revocation, and related processes are actually
>>    performed.
>>    - *3.3.2*  Incorporation by reference remains permissible for
>>    normative obligations and shared definitions, but it cannot substitute for
>>    disclosure of CA-specific practices.
>>    - *3.3.3*  Documentation must be explicit, bounded, and testable
>>    where feasible, enabling meaningful audit, review, and comparison across 
>> CA
>>    operators.
>>    - *3.3.4*  Reviewers should not be required to reconstruct
>>    operational practices by correlating multiple external documents.
>>    - *3.3.5*  CP/CPS documentation must contain or clearly reference
>>    certificate, CRL, and OCSP profiles (separate, versioned companion
>>    documents are allowed where appropriate).
>>    - *3.3.6*  CP/CPS documentation must reflect current operations with
>>    substantive changes traceable through version history and changelogs.
>>
>> The intent is to make CP/CPS documentation a reliable and self-contained
>> description of how a CA operates in practice, particularly in areas where
>> the Baseline Requirements or other standards allow discretion.
>>
>> *2. Documentation Format and Versioning - #282
>> <https://github.com/mozilla/pkipolicy/issues/282>*
>>
>> Also proposed (in Item 2 of MRSP 3.3) are requirements to maintain
>> publicly accessible CP/CPS documentation in a structured, text-based format
>> (e.g., Markdown, AsciiDoc, or similar), with version history.  It is
>> proposed that the requirement to publish CP/CPS documentation on the CA
>> operator’s website be removed, to allow for alternative publication models
>> (e.g., version-controlled public repositories). CA operators may continue
>> to publish PDF versions on their websites if they choose.
>>
>> These edits are intended to promote CA operator consistency in how such
>> documentation is maintained and published and to support more efficient
>> review, comparison, and automation. Rather than prescribing a single tool
>> or platform, the requirement focuses on characteristics: structured text,
>> version control, and publicly accessible history.
>>
>> Feedback on the proposed direction and draft language is welcome.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Ben Wilson
>> Mozilla Root Program
>>
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