Arbitrate a material or unresolved conflict between domain owners

In plain terms

Resolve a disagreement two domain owners cannot settle between them. The committee decides whose position holds. It does not take over the risk.

What is being judged

Which domain position governs where two are incompatible. The classic case is privacy against security: retaining logs to investigate incidents against minimizing data to limit exposure. Both owners are correct within their domains, and the conflict is real rather than a misunderstanding.

Arbitration does not transfer ownership. After the decision, the domain owner whose position did not hold still owns their domain and still records their acceptance, now reflecting the arbitrated position. A committee that absorbs the risk has replaced the accountability model rather than supported it.

What this decision does not cover

It does not accept risk. It does not decide whether the system deploys, which returns to the Business Accountable Executive at L4-RSK-03.

When it fires

On event. The four convening triggers at Layer 4 §5.4. A domain owner declines a risk the accountable executive intends to proceed against. Two domain owners reach incompatible positions on one system. A system at or above materiality requires classification. A domain owner compels withdrawal under L4-AUT-06.

On cycle. None. The committee does not meet on a calendar.

What you need before deciding

Both domain positions in writing, in their own units. What each owner would accept as a resolution, which is often narrower than their stated position. The consequence class. Whether a control change could resolve the conflict rather than a decision.

How this goes wrong

The standing meeting: a committee convening on a calendar acquires routine decisions belonging to named individuals. Arbitration as risk transfer: the committee resolves the conflict and the domain owners treat their acceptances as superseded. Splitting the difference: producing a position neither owner would have accepted, which satisfies the meeting and leaves the risk unowned.

Related decisions

Triggered by L4-RSK-02 conflicts, L4-AUT-06 compelled withdrawal, L4-CLS-04 classification.

Feeds L4-RSK-03 composite acceptance.

Instrument references

None. No instrument specifies conflict resolution between risk domains for AI systems.