RWoT Code of Conduct

Rebooting Web of Trust events bring together people from around the world who are committed to building a new Web of Trust based on self-sovereign principles. It is a space inclusive of persons of all backgrounds, orientations and identities. Dialogue, mutual respect and sharing are at the foundation of the decentralized web community and we expect all participants to follow these values. These guidelines help us establish collective trust and engage in productive deliberation.

Your safety and comfort are our priority. If you have a query or any concerns at any point before, during or after the conference, contact us at concerns@weboftrust.info.

Expected Behavior

1. Respect
   • All participants should strive to treat each other with dignity and respect,regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, nationality, origin, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, physical appearance, or religion.
   • When listening to input and comments of others, start by assuming the most benign interpretation and the best intention of the speaker. If comment is phrased in a way that might be misinterpreted, ask for clarification of the statement or intent. If the comment is discomforting (or hostile), please reach out to an event organizer.
   • Respect the privacy–-both physical and digital–-of others.
2. Collaborate
   • Be open to new ideas and learning from others
   • In moments of strong disagreement, we ask participants to “agree to disagree,” stay focused on the goals of the session or discussion and move on to address shared needs and shared opportunities.
   • We encourage all present to make it a point where possible to talk to strangers and those you know less well, as they are hopefully friends you have not yet met.
3. Include
   • Everyone at Rebooting Web of Trust events should feel included and it is to everyone’s advantage to be mindful and productively engaged with people from a variety of cultural contexts, communities and regions.
   • When in doubt, reach out! We all have different perspectives that can help each other in worthwhile and unexpected ways.
     • In this spirit, avoid jargon, acronyms and complicated phrasing whenever possible.
     • Follow the “Rule of 1” and the “Rule of n”: When you speak, make 1 point and then let others speak, and when in a group of “n” people, speak “1/nth” of the time.

Anti-harassment Policy

Rebooting Web of Trust is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, nationality, origin, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, physical appearance, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference at the discretion of the conference organizers.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Offensive or unwelcome comments, including epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, and discriminatory remarks disguised as humor;
• Distribution, display, or discussion of written or graphic material that ridicules, insults, or shows hostility or disrespect toward an individual or group;
• Deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent;
• Deliberate misgendering or use of rejected names;
• Intimidation or silencing, including sustained and deliberate disruption of discussion;
• Threats of violence or incitement of violence;
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following;
• Failure to safeguard confidential or privately shared information;
• Unwelcome sexual attention;
• Distribution, display, or discussion of any sexually suggestive written or graphic material;
• Unwelcome physical contact;
• Harassing photography or recording;
• Sustained disruption of talks or other events;
• Attempts at intimidation, retaliation or retribution to someone who has
  • Filed or responded to a report of discrimination or harassment.
  • Appeared as a witness in the processing of a report.
  • Served as a coordinator of a report.
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior

Enforcement

If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender, expelling the offender from the conference, and/or calling law enforcement or other emergency services.

The Community Resiliency Team (CRT) responds to possible violations in the following manner:

• We work to stabilize the situation As soon as we get information about a possible violation of the Code of Conduct, we will immediately take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of the reporting individual, and of the community, which may include calling law enforcement or other emergency services; and/or asking the object of the report to leave the premises.
• We initiate the review and response process After stabilizing the situation, and as soon as possible, our CRT will review the information that we have received, including determining whether we need additional information.
• We determine what action is needed, including remedy After carefully considering factors such as the content, nature, and threat level of the incident, and evaluating the available information, we will determine a course of action, including deciding whether and which remedy is appropriate. Potential remedies include warnings; removing a participant from an event; or banning a participant from future events. If a remedy or the timing of it puts the safety and confidentiality of the reporting individual(s) at risk, our team will take that into consideration and prioritize preventing further harm.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities.

Reporting

If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible.

You can make a report either personally or anonymously.

Anonymous Report

You can make an anonymous report by using an Anonymous Emailing Service and sending an email to concerns@weboftrust.info. This DOES NOT require an email address to submit, fill in a fake email in the form.

We can’t follow up an anonymous report with you directly, but we will fully investigate it and take whatever action is necessary to prevent a recurrence.

Personal Report

You can make a personal report by:

• Contacting a CRT member, identified by CRT badges, buttons, or shirts.
• Emailing the Community Response Team at concerns@weboftrust.info

When taking a personal report, our staff will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. They may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are.

Our team will be happy to help you are safe immediately and for the duration of the event.

License and attribution

This anti-harassment policy borrows heavily from the Decentralized Web Code of Conduct and the Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy. Thanks to both of these communities for taking the time to craft and share their guidance.

Additional thanks to Kaliya Young and John Wunderlich for pointing the us to valuable resources as we drafted this documentation.

Additional sources include:

• RightsCon code of conduct
• Adopting a code of conduct is an adaptive challenge not a technical one
• W3C Positive Work Environment
• Access Now Apology