What is the Technical Advisory Committee?

The Technical Advisory Committees (TACs) are designed to advise the OpenSSL Foundation and the OpenSSL Corporation on technical matters. The TACs focus on the technical aspects of the OpenSSL Projects, including architectural design, security enhancements, implementation of new features, and the overall technical roadmap.

TAC members serve as the technical voices of their respective communities - such as distributions, committers, small companies, large companies, individuals, and academics. Their primary responsibility is to represent the technical interests, concerns, and insights of these communities within the broader technical discussions of the OpenSSL Foundation and the OpenSSL Corporation. This ensures that technical decisions reflect a wide range of expertise and practical experience.

There is a separate TAC for the OpenSSL Foundation and for the OpenSSL Corporation, reflecting the different technical priorities of each organization (with the Foundation focusing on non-commercial technical challenges and the Corporation addressing commercial technical requirements). Community members can nominate for a single TAC or separately for both TACs, but a given individual can only represent one community within a TAC.

Directors and managers of the OpenSSL Foundation and the OpenSSL Corporation are precluded from holding a community representative position within the TAC. Although they may participate within their communities and vote in elections, they cannot accept a nomination for a TAC role. Employees, contractors, and members who are not directors or managers may participate in the same way as any other community member.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].