OpenSSL Announces New Governance Structure and Welcomes Two New Projects

NEWARK, Del. - EntSun -- The OpenSSL Project, the custodian of the open-source OpenSSL software library used for secure communication over the internet, is announcing a change in its governance structure designed to foster greater community involvement and more closely align with its Mission and Values.

Changes in the governance structure:

• New Governance Framework: OpenSSL includes two independent, co-equal entities to support the Mission: the OpenSSL Foundation and the OpenSSL Corporation. The Foundation primarily focuses on non-commercial communities, while the Corporation primarily focuses on commercial communities. This balanced approach ensures both entities can operate independently and make decisions autonomously.
• Board of Directors and Members: The OpenSSL Management Committee (OMC) has been dissolved, and two boards of directors have been elected for the Foundation and the Corporation. There are ten voting members for each organization. These boards share all the responsibilities and authorities of the former OMC co-equally.
• Community Advisory Committees: To further engage our communities, we are establishing two advisory committees for each entity: a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The communities will elect the members of the BACs and TACs, creating a direct channel for community input in roadmap development and reflecting the diverse perspectives of OpenSSL's communities.
• New Projects Under OpenSSL Mission: The Bouncy Castle and cryptlib projects have adopted the OpenSSL Mission and Values. Both projects are renowned cryptographic libraries that bring valuable expertise and resources to our mission, broadening the scope and impact of our work. Collaboration between the OpenSSL Library, Bouncy Castle, and cryptlib will benefit all our communities.

Support from the Foundation and the Corporation is available for all projects under the OpenSSL Mission on an opt-in (voluntary) basis.

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Timeline and Future Plans:

• Business Advisory Committees for both entities will be established by the end of October 2024.
• Technical Advisory Committees will be established by the end of April 2025.
• The OpenSSL Technical Committee will be dissolved after establishing all the Business and Technical Advisory Committees.
• An OpenSSL user conference will be held in Europe in the last quarter of 2025.

"Our new governance structure has been designed to put our communities at the heart of what we do and to help us achieve our mission," said Matt Caswell, president of the OpenSSL Software Foundation. "I am delighted that Bouncy Castle and cryptlib have also signed up to our Mission. I am looking forward to our future collaboration with these projects."

"OpenSSL as a project would not exist without the contributions of communities, companies and individuals over the past 25 years. I would encourage any community member to stand for one of the advisory committees to represent the views and needs of the communities," noted Tim Hudson, president of the OpenSSL Software Services. "These changes aim to better utilize our resources, foster closer engagement with our communities, and expand collaboration with like-minded projects that share our mission and values."

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For more information about the current board of directors, advisory committees, and detailed governance changes, please visit our Blog or contact us at marcom@openssl.org.