Neutrality Framework
The AIMCIS Foundation preserves vendor neutrality through a structured governance model that prevents any single company from controlling the standard, its certification process, or its evolution.
Neutrality Principles
| Principle | Description |
|---|---|
| No single-vendor control | No company holds more than 30% of Board voting power or controls the TSC chair position |
| Cross-platform compatibility | All certification criteria must be implementable by any vendor using open-source reference implementations |
| Open evolution process | Domain additions and specification changes follow a public proposal-review-ratification cycle with 30-day comment periods |
| Royalty-free licensing | All AIMCIS specifications are licensed under Apache 2.0; certification badges require no license fees for AL0/AL1 |
Governance Structure
| Body | Composition | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Stewards | 7 members, staggered 3-year terms, max 2 from any single company | Strategic direction, domain ratification, budget approval, dispute resolution |
| TSC (Technical Steering Committee) | 10 technical leads elected by the community, plus Board-appointed chair | Specification development, test case design, implementation guidance |
| Domain Working Groups | Volunteer contributors per domain, led by a WG lead appointed by TSC | Domain-specific criteria, certification test cases, AAA training materials |
| AAA Registry | All registered Attestation Authorities meeting minimum qualification requirements | AL2/AL3 attestation, annual recertification, badge issuance |
Voting Structure
- Board decisions: Simple majority (4 of 7) for routine matters; 2/3 majority (5 of 7) for domain additions and specification changes
- TSC technical decisions: Consensus preferred; if not achievable, simple majority vote
- Emergency protocol activation: Board chair may activate with TSC chair concurrence; ratified by full Board within 14 days
The neutrality framework ensures AIMCIS remains a public good — owned by the community, governed by experts, and free from vendor capture.