Ballot 199 – Require commonName in Root and Intermediate Certificates

Ballot overview

• Ballot 199, Require commonName in Root and Intermediate Certificates, proposes changes to the Baseline Requirements.
• The purpose is to add a commonName requirement for Root CA Certificates and Subordinate CA Certificates, because the existing text for subject information did not fully specify required information.
• The motion also renames and restructures sections covering subject information for subscriber certificates, root certificates, and subordinate CA certificates.

Proposed changes

• Delete the existing subject information requirements in sections 7.1.2.1(e) and 7.1.2.2(h).
• Rename section 7.1.4.2 to Subject Information – Subscriber Certificates.
• Rename section 7.1.4.3 to Subject Information – Root Certificates and Subordinate CA Certificates.
• Add a new section requiring these subject distinguished name fields for root and subordinate CA certificates:
  • subject:commonName must be present.
  • subject:organizationName must be present and contain either the Subject CA’s name or DBA as verified under Section 3.2.2.2.
  • subject:countryName must contain the two-letter ISO 3166-1 country code for the country where the CA’s place of business is located.

Ballot process and result

• The ballot was in the voting period when described on the page.
• The page states that the voting period ended on 9 May and that the ballot has passed.
• Voting results shown on the page:
  • CAs: 14 yes, 1 no, 0 abstain
  • Browsers: 3 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain
• The page states quorum was met and the approval thresholds were met for both CAs and browsers.
• The page also states that if no Exclusion Notices are filed, the ballot becomes effective at the end of the Review Period.

Timing

• Discussion: 25 Apr to 2 May
• Vote for approval: 2 May to 9 May
• Review Period: 30 days after filing of the Review Notice by the Chair
• Effective date depends on the Review Period outcome and whether any Exclusion Notices are filed.