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Ecma International

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Established: 1

Address: Rhône Street 114, 1204 Geneva, Switzerland

Website: https://www.ecma-international.org/

Stakeholder group: NGOs and associations

Ecma International is an industry association that works on standardisation in information and communications technology (ICT) and consumer electronics. The association develops global standards and technical reports in order to facilitate and standardise the use of ICTs and consumer electronics. It also aims to encourage the correct use of standards by influencing the environment in which they are applied.

Its membership includes entities such as Alibaba, Facebook, Google, Hitachi, IBM, Intel, Konica Minolta, and Microsoft, as well as prominent universities and research institutes.

Digital Activities 

Since its creation in 1961, Ecma has published numerous standards and technical reports covering areas such as data presentation and communication, data interchange and archiving, access systems and interconnection and multimedia, programming languages, and software engineering and interfaces. One of the oldest programming languages developed by Ecma is FORTRAN, which was approved in 1965. ECMAScript, with several billion implementations, is one of the most used standards worldwide.

Digital policy issues

Digital standards 

A large part of Ecma’s activity is dedicated to defining standards and technical reports for ICTs (hardware, software, communications, media storage, etc.). This work is carried out through technical committees and task groups focusing on issues such as information storage, multimedia coding and communications, programming languages, open XML formats, and product-related environmental attributes. The standards and technical reports developed in committees and groups are subject to an approval vote in the Ecma General Assembly. Once approved by the assembly, some standards are also submitted to other standardisation organisations (such as the International Organization for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Commission, and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) for their approval and publication through a liaison agreement that Ecma has with those organisations.

Telecommunication infrastructure 
Network security 
Sustainable development/Digital and environment 
Programming languages such as ECMAScript (JavaScript) and C# 

ECMA-262, ECMA-334, ECMA-335, ECMA-367, ECMA-372, ECMA-402, ECMA-404, ECMA-408, ECMA-414

Data-related standards 

 

Technical Committees (TC) and Task Groups (TG) covering issues such as access systems and information exchange between systems (TC51), product-related environmental attributes (TC38), office open XML formats (TC45), and ECMAScript modules for embedded systems (TC53).

Digital tools

In June 2020, Ecma’s General Assembly held a virtual meeting and approved two standards related to the ECMAScript language, accepted new members, and recognised Ecma contributors with the coveted Ecma recognition award. The meeting was held using videoconferencing and document-sharing tools.

For public communications purposes, Ecma uses its website, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Future of meetings

Any reference to online or remote meetings? 

  • In June 2020, Ecma’s 119th General Assembly was held as a virtual meeting and approved two standards related to the ECMAScript language, accepted new members, and recognized Ecma contributors with the coveted Ecma recognition award. The meeting was held using videoconferencing and document-sharing tools. Several technical committees are also scheduled to hold virtual meetings throughout the remainder of 2020.

Any reference to holding meetings outside HQ?

  • Ecma meetings are typically held outside of Ecma’s HQ at the invitation of a technical committee member who hosts the meeting at their own or another facility.

Any reference to deliberation or decision making online?

  • Economy and efficiency are factors in choosing the meeting place and the meeting mode. Digital or a combination of digital and face-to-face meetings are possible options. This is decided upon by the committee.