Web4 Terminology and Definitions
draft-jacobs-web4-terminology-00

Individual Submission                                          T. Jacobs
Internet-Draft                                                KTS Global
Intended status: Informational                             8 August 2026
Expires: 9 February 2027

                    Web4 Terminology and Definitions
                    draft-jacobs-web4-terminology-00

Abstract

   This document defines a common vocabulary for describing Web4
   systems: federated, sovereign-entity-capable network architectures
   that extend prior generations of the Web with machine-native
   comprehension and conformance evaluation.  It establishes baseline
   terminology intended for reference by subsequent Web4 specifications,
   including but not limited to [JACOBS-MEC], and is written to be
   independently useful to any implementer or evaluator working with
   Web4-class systems, regardless of underlying implementation.

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 9 February 2027.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Conventions and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   3.  Core Definitions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     3.1.  Web4  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     3.2.  Sovereign Entity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     3.3.  Federation Node . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     3.4.  Tiering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     3.5.  Machine Comprehension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     3.6.  Conformance Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.7.  Reference Implementation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.8.  Adjudication Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  Relationship to Prior Web Generations . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   5.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   6.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   7.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   8.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5

1.  Introduction

   Successive generations of Web architecture are commonly referenced
   using informal generational labels ("Web1", "Web2", "Web3") without
   settled, citable definitions.  This creates ambiguity when
   specifications, implementers, or evaluators attempt to describe
   systems that exhibit federation, autonomous machine participation, or
   sovereign data control -- properties increasingly associated with the
   informal term "Web4."

   This document does not specify a protocol, an architecture, or an
   implementation.  It defines terminology only, so that this and future
   documents can refer to a shared, stable vocabulary rather than re-
   deriving definitions in each specification.  Bounding the scope in
   this way keeps the terminology reusable across independent
   implementations and avoids tying the vocabulary to any single
   vendor's internal design.

2.  Conventions and Terminology

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals as shown here.

3.  Core Definitions

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3.1.  Web4

   Web4 refers to a class of network architectures in which
   participating nodes are independently operable, cryptographically or
   procedurally identifiable, capable of federated interconnection
   without a single controlling authority, and capable of exposing
   behavior that can be evaluated for machine comprehension
   (Section 3.5).  Web4 is a descriptive category, not a single
   protocol; a system MAY be described as Web4-class if it satisfies
   these properties, regardless of its internal implementation.

3.2.  Sovereign Entity

   A sovereign entity is a participant in a Web4 system -- human,
   organizational, or machine -- that retains independent control over
   its own data, identity, and participation decisions, and whose
   behavior within the federation is externally observable and evaluable
   without requiring disclosure of internal implementation details.

3.3.  Federation Node

   A federation node is an addressable, independently operable endpoint
   that participates in a Web4 federation.  A node MAY join or leave a
   federation, and its participation status is determined by an
   allowlist, protocol handshake, or equivalent admission mechanism
   defined by the federation's operator(s).

3.4.  Tiering

   Tiering describes the practice of organizing federation nodes into
   layered relationships (e.g., coordinating nodes and subordinate
   nodes) for purposes of routing, visibility, or policy enforcement.
   Tiering is an organizational property of a federation and does not
   imply any specific transport, storage, or computational mechanism.

3.5.  Machine Comprehension

   Machine comprehension, in the Web4 context, refers to a system's
   demonstrated ability to process, relate, and respond to novel inputs
   in a manner that is externally distinguishable from simple retrieval
   or lookup, as established through defined test procedures and
   reference outcomes.  This document takes no position on the internal
   mechanism by which comprehension is achieved.

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3.6.  Conformance Class

   A conformance class is a named set of criteria against which a Web4
   node or federation may be evaluated.  Conformance classes are
   composite in nature and MAY combine criteria drawn from comprehension
   testing, federation behavior, security posture, and operational
   transparency.  A conformance class does not certify fitness for any
   particular purpose; it certifies that stated criteria were met under
   stated test conditions.

3.7.  Reference Implementation

   A reference implementation is a deployed, operational Web4 system
   used to demonstrate that a given definition or conformance class is
   achievable in practice rather than purely theoretical.  Citation of a
   reference implementation in a Web4 specification does not grant that
   implementation any normative status over the specification itself.

3.8.  Adjudication Record

   An adjudication record is a preserved, time-stamped account of a
   specific conformance evaluation, including the test conditions, the
   reference outcome expected, and the outcome observed.  Adjudication
   records are intended to support independent verification and SHOULD
   be retained by the evaluating party.

4.  Relationship to Prior Web Generations

   This document does not attempt to formally define "Web1", "Web2", or
   "Web3", as no single citable definition for those terms has achieved
   broad consensus.  Where comparison is useful, this document treats
   Web4 as distinguished primarily by (a) federated, multi-operator
   participation without a single controlling authority, and (b) the
   presence of testable machine comprehension properties, rather than by
   any specific transport or storage technology.

5.  Security Considerations

   This document defines terminology only and introduces no protocol,
   wire format, or executable behavior.  It therefore introduces no new
   security vulnerabilities directly.  Future Web4 specifications that
   rely on these definitions SHOULD include their own Security
   Considerations addressing node admission, federation trust
   boundaries, and comprehension-test integrity, as terminology choices
   alone do not constrain implementation security properties.

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6.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no IANA actions.

7.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, May 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

8.  Informative References

   [JACOBS-MEC]
              Jacobs, T., "Web4 Sovereign Entity Comprehension:
              Requirements and External Conformance Framework", August
              2026, <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-jacobs-web4-
              sovereign-entity-comprehension/>.

Author's Address

   Tim Jacobs
   KTS Global
   United Arab Emirates
   Email: tim@ktsglobal.live

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