Code of Conduct

DISRUPT succeeds as a program by bringing varied lived experiences and voices to the forefront of a global discussion. As such, we expect all attendees to be respectful of others, appreciate differences of opinion, and to communicate clearly.

All attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers at DISRUPT hosted events (including the PTIM, its side events, and PTIM trainings and workshops) are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.

Any violations may be brought to the event organizers directly or via email to [email protected]. PGP encryption is supported, please encrypt to Gina Helfrich and/or Jon Camfield. Conference staff will be happy to help participants assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference in whatever way is appropriate for the circumstances

Sharing and Privacy Policies

The event will set ground rules collaboratively to manage private information throughout the event, which will include guidelines on social media, photos, and sharing information from the online event. The PTIM will be creating public resources, and event participants will be consulted regarding their preferences for sharing information from the event. No information will be shared without event participants’ explicit permission.

Anti-Harassment policy

The conference is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy/maternity status, marriage/civil partnership status, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices.

Expected Behavior

  • Be friendly and patient.
  • Be welcoming. We strive to be a community that welcomes and supports people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, color, immigration status, social and economic class, educational level, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
  • Be considerate. Your work can be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we’re a world-wide community, so you might not be communicating in someone else’s primary language.
  • Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Members of the community should be respectful when dealing with other members as well as with people outside the community.
  • Be careful in the words that you choose. We are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other participants.
  • When we disagree, try to understand why. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and DISRUPT is no exception. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. Remember that we’re different. The strength of DISRUPT comes from its varied community, people from a wide range of backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that it is human to err and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on helping to resolve issues and learning from mistakes.
  • Moderators reserve the right to delete excessive self-promotional or commercial posts.
  • Content that has been identified as objectionable, inappropriate, or off-topic will be subject to deletion by channel moderators. Posters will receive a warning and risk being blocked from the channel if unacceptable behavior persists.
  • Critical discussion is welcome, but harassment is not. Using events and community spaces, whether virtual or in person, to spread disinformation or malinformation in a way that harms or silences community members. Further, misinformation or disinformation about technical subjects can inspire false confidence in insecure tools, or keep people from using tools that can keep them safer. Technical discussions must be evidence-based, and a harm-reduction framework is encouraged.

Unacceptable Behavior

The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:

  • Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
  • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
  • Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
  • Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
  • Personal insults, particularly those related to personal aspects listed above.
  • Inappropriate or unauthorized photography or recording.
  • Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s consent before touching them.
  • Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments, jokes, and imagery; unwelcomed sexual advances.
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
  • Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.

Violations of these may result in expulsion from the event. Internews will take into account documented violations of similar codes of conduct into account when making decisions around participation.

Scope

We expect all community participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all community venues–online and in-person–as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to community business.

This code of conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occuring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.

Credits and License

This Code of Conduct adapts the Creative Commons licensed work from ConfCodeofConduct, Code of Conduct Builder and Citizen Code of Conduct and incorporates concepts from the Internet Freedom Code of Conduct as well as the ISC Project’s anti-harassment policy.

This content is available as a CC-BY 4.0 International license.