The Tor Project

Field	technology
Scope	online, offline
Source	https://community.torproject.org/training/code-of-conduct/

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Tor Project Code of Conduct

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Statement of Intent:

The Tor Project is committed to fostering an inclusive environment and community. Tor is a place where people should feel safe to engage, share their point of view, and participate.

This code of conduct applies to The Tor Project as a whole. It is intended to provide guidelines for contributors. Employees and contractors of The Tor Project, Inc. (TPI) are also subject to company policies and procedures. Those people should feel free to contact HR with questions or concerns.

This code of conduct is not exhaustive or complete. It is an ongoing effort to summarize our shared understanding. We want to provide a welcoming, safe environment, so we can work together to pursue powerful solutions. We reserve the right to deviate from strictly enforcing this code. Any deviations must produce an outcome which is fairer, and aligned with our values. We understand that keeping a living document relevant and “patched” involves sustained effort.

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0. Summary: Don't be a jerk. Be awesome instead.

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The Tor community should be a good place where people are glad to be.

DO: Be kind, thoughtful, and considerate.

DO: Make Tor a place where people are happy and comfortable.

DO: Remember: We are all contributing; we are all learning. Nobody was born an expert.

DO: Yield the floor. Listen. Make sure everyone gets heard.

DON'T: Insult, harass, intimidate, or be a jerk.

DON'T: Treat honest mistakes as an excuse to hassle people. Mistakes are for learning.

DON'T: Hunt for ways to uphold the letter of this code while violating its spirit.

AND DO: Eagerly email: tor-community-council@lists.torproject.org with questions or concerns. Public key: https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/org/CommunityCouncil#Contact

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1. Purpose

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A primary goal of the Tor community is to be inclusive of many different contributors. We want to include contributors from the most varied and diverse backgrounds possible. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of their experience, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, family, relationships, ability (whether bodily or mental), personal appearance, socioeconomic status, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, or membership in a disadvantaged and/or underrepresented group.

A safe environment means one free from abuse, whether isolated or systemic. We explicitly acknowledge that tolerating abuse is a security problem. Allowing abusers and malicious people to disrupt our community puts our software, developers, and users at risk.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

We invite all those who participate in The Tor Project to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

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2. Be your best self

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The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:

• Participate in an honest and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community.

• Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.

• Attempt collaboration and dialog before engaging in conflict.

• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.

• Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice:

- a dangerous situation

- someone in distress

- violations of this code of conduct, even if they seem minor

• Remember that community event venues may be shared with members of the public. Please be respectful to everyone using these locations.

• Respect the privacy of your fellow community members.

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3. Unacceptable behaviors

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The following behaviors are unacceptable within our community:

• Violence, sexual assault, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person, especially violence against a person or group based on a protected characteristic. (Display of weapons may constitute intimidation or a threat of violence.)

• Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.

• Spontaneously posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material. (If it is necessary to share such material when working on Tor's mission, do so with sensitivity. Be aware that many people don't want to see it.)

• Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information ("doxing") without their consent.

• Personal insults or attacks, particularly those related to:

- experience

- gender identity or expression

- sexual orientation

- family

- relationships

- ability (whether bodily or mental)

- personal appearance

- socioeconomic status

- body size

- race

- ethnicity

- age

- religion

- nationality

- membership in a disadvantaged and/or underrepresented group

• Inappropriate photography, audio recording, or recording of personal information. You should have someone's consent before recording these things, and before posting them publicly.

• Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s consent before touching them.

• Unwelcome sexual attention: this includes sexualized comments or jokes, inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcome sexual advances.

• Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).

• Deliberately undermining the spirit of this code while following the letter.

• Sustained disruption of any community events, including talks, presentations, and online conversations.

• Deliberately pushing against someone's stated boundaries.

• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

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4. Unacceptable behavior has consequences

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We will not tolerate unacceptable behavior from any community member. We will not make exceptions for sponsors and those with decision-making authority. People in formal or informal leadership roles must model the highest standards of behavior.

Anyone asked by another community member to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. Please don't step in on someone else's behalf without their consent.

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5. Where to go for help

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The Community Council is an elected body of Tor Core Contributors who can assist with intra-community conflict resolution. Community Council policies and information can be found on the Community Council wiki [1]. You can contact the whole Community council:

- if you have questions or concerns about the code of conduct, or

- if you feel that you have witnessed a code of conduct violation

However, if you feel that there is a conflict of interest with any council member, you may contact members individually. Council members' GPG keys are listed on the Community Council wiki. If there is a conflict of interest, the affected council member will recuse themselves. They will not be involved in any discussion or documentation of the incident. More about the Community Council can be found in the guidelines [2].

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6. What to do if you witness unacceptable behavior

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If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify the Community Council as soon as possible. You can contact the community council in person, or at tor-community-council@lists.torproject.org. Current councilmembers are listed on the wiki [1]. The Community Council's incident response will vary on a case-by-case basis. The council will make every effort to respond to the incident immediately. The council will prioritize the safety of the person who has been harmed, or is at risk of harm. Person(s) who have been harmed or are at risk of harm can withdraw the incident report at any time. We will never do anything without the consent of the person who has been harmed or is at risk of harm, except in situations where there is a threat of imminent danger or harm to anyone. More information about the Community Council's incident reporting and response policies can be found on their wiki [1].

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7. What the person reporting a violation can expect

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The Community Council prioritizes the safety and well-being of any person who feels that they have been harmed or may be in danger of being harmed. Anyone reporting an issue to the Community Council can expect that their report will be taken seriously. Initial reports can be taken in written or verbal form. If the incident does not require an immediate resolution, then a written report can be shared with the Community Council in an encrypted format. The next steps in an incident response will vary on a case-by-case basis.

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8. How the Community Council responds to incidents

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If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the Community Council may take any action they deem appropriate, including but not limited to a warning, informal mediation, temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the community. Any actions and decisions by the Community Council may be appealed by following the appeals process in the Community Council Guidelines [1].

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9. Scope of this document

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This code of conduct covers all community participants:

- paid and unpaid contributors

- sponsors

- other guests

when interacting:

- in all online and in-person community venues

- in one-on-one communications that relate to community work

This code of conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members. As members of the Tor community, we support and follow this Code while we are working on Tor, and take care not to undermine it in the rest of our time.

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10. License and attribution

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This code of conduct is shared under a Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.

This code of conduct uses some language and framing from the Citizen Code of Conduct, which is shared under a CC-BY-SA license: citizencodeofconduct.org

[1] https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/org/CommunityCouncil [2] https://gitweb.torproject.org/community/policies.git/tree/community_council.txt

Tor Project Code of Conduct 2015, Draft

We had some productive conversations about the code of conduct. We will have another session on Tuesday as we work toward publishing a version 1.0 of our code of conduct this week. The general consensus regarding scope is that the limiting of scope in the first paragraph made sense and constituted reasonable balance between the work of the Tor community and the personal decisions unrelated to the Tor community’s work which are not affected by this code of conduct.

The current version of the code of conduct may be found, below. Please feel free to make revisions/comments, here: ​https://etherpad.mozilla.org/wwCnCarOGF

In response to input, I added a phrase under “Unacceptable Behavior” concerning willfully making false allegations against a fellow community member.

I have also added the names of four people who have agreed to be moderators. Please let me know if you have other people in mind who would be strong moderators. We will be planning a meeting with moderators and others on Wednesday to further discuss the moderation process and to further define how administrative actions are to be taken by the team of moderators.

We will update this wiki further as we have further conversations this week.

Current draft:

Tor Code of Conduct, version 0.3 shared by Tom, 9/28/15

Scope

We expect community participants 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 work. For many community members, there are not sharp lines between work and personal life, so we should work within the code to honor and respect personal preferences.

As an anonymity network, we rely on diversity to fulfil our mission, and we seek participation from those who enhance it. This code of conduct exists to ensure that diverse groups collaborate to mutual advantage. We will challenge prejudice that could jeopardize the participation of any person in the Project.

As a community, we value broad freedom of expression, but we agree to place limits on this freedom as noted in this code in pursuit of important community objectives, especially safe and comfortable participation for all.

General shared expectations

We will be considerate. We have a special obligation to community members due to the unique demands and pressures of the open source secure software world, and we will take the extra step to keep others safe and comfortable. Also, we feel special obligation to those who rely on our work, and we in turn depend on the work of others. The decisions that we make affect users and colleagues around the world, and we must consider their needs and interests when making decisions.

We will be open. We invite anybody, from any company or community, to participate in any aspect of our projects. Tor as a Community will work to support everyone who is contributing or would like to contribute, and Tor the Company will direct prospective contributors to helpful resources and communication channels.

We will be empathetic. We work together to resolve conflict. We recognize that many in our community are sometimes under attack or duress, or otherwise targeted by adversaries. We have a special obligation to protect and support those who are subjected to this, and to respond cooperatively as a community in a way that increases the safety and comfort of the targeted individual.

We strive to go the extra step to look out for each other. Don't just aim to be technically unimpeachable, try to be your best self. In particular, avoid flirting with offensive or sensitive issues, particularly if they're off-topic; this all too often leads to unnecessary fights, hurt feelings, and damaged trust; worse, it can drive people away from the community entirely.

We will presume that people mean well. Decisions are often a difficult choice between competing priorities. We will disagree often and with emotion, and in these cases particularly we will be respectful and focused on the community objective. Note that telling someone that you are offended is not a failure to presume good faith. In fact, it is the preferred method of working out personal differences.

We will be collaborative. Collaboration between teams that each have their own objectives is essential. Our diversity is most powerful when we link up with others in mutually supporting ways. Internally and externally, we prefer to work transparently and involve interested parties as early as possible.

We value decisiveness, clarity, and consensus: Disagreements, social and technical, are normal, but we do not allow them to persist, leaving others uncertain of the agreed direction. We expect participants in the project to resolve disagreements constructively. When they cannot, team leaders are available to arbitrate and provide clarity and direction.

We will be open to failures. Our community thrives through experimentation, which involves repeated failures. We will share failures with each other and examine decisions as a community, as this is the best way to harden Tor against similar failures in the future! We ask for help when unsure: Asking questions early avoids many problems later, so questions are encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum. The community shares responsibility for answering questions responsively and helpfully, with the assistance of moderators.

We step back considerately. When somebody leaves or disengages from the project, we ask that they do so in a way that minimizes disruption to the project. They should tell people they are leaving and take other proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where they left off.

At events, we will work to create a welcoming environment for newcomers and veteran community members alike. We work hard to manage any interpersonal issues and focus on the main reason everybody participates: to work on creating, deploying, and promoting incredible Tor technology!

Expected Behavior

The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:

• Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community.
• Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
• Attempt collaboration before conflict. Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
• Respect people’s personal boundaries. Ask before touching people or recording them or sharing their private communications.
• If somebody asks you to stop doing something, please stop. It's kind to apologize, as well.
• Help each other. Everybody, especially people with social power, should aim to support the Tor community being a comfortable place. If somebody seems distressed, or is having difficulty with personal or community relations, please intervene to support them as possible.
• If you notice a situation that seems dangerous or in need of immediate attention, please alert a community leader on-site, a moderator on-line, or conductcode@.
• Remember that community event venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons and employees of these facilities.

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 private aspects of other people’s personally identifying information ("doxing").
• Personal insults and personal attacks, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
• Photographing or recording event attendees without their permission.
• Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s consent before touching them.
• Willfully making false allegations against a fellow community member.
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes unwelcome sexualized comments or jokes, inappropriate touching and gestures, and sexual advances.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Note: advocating for a change in the code shall not be construed as advocating for violating it. Sustained or repeated disruption of community events or meetings, in person or online.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the community leaders and/or moderators may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the community without further warning (and without refund in the case of a paid event).

Addressing issues

We take responsibility for our words and our actions: we can all make mistakes; when we do, we take responsibility for them. If someone has been harmed or offended, we listen carefully and respectfully, and we work to right the wrong. We recognize that sometimes people may have a bad day, or be unaware of some of the guidelines in this code of conduct. When that happens, we should reply to them and see if we can solve the problem via kindness and communication. We may also refer to one of our general shared expectations, above.

If issues persist, it is recommended that you speak with respective advocates and project leads about the issue. If further action is needed, complaints should be made to conductcode@…, which is a team of diverse community moderators charged with addressing concerns and clarifying questions that arise. You may also contact (individual)

We will continue to work at being excellent. This code is not exhaustive or complete. It is an ongoing effort to distill our common understanding and provide a welcoming, safe environment that allows us to work to our fullest potential. We strive to follow this code in spirit as much as in the letter. We understand that keeping this code relevant and “patched” will involve sustained effort. (This document is version-controlled.)

Our moderator team of Jens Kubiezel, Erinn Clark, Alison Macrina, Matt Finkel _, , _, at conductcode@, is charged with administering and interpreting this code, and in recommending to the community actions relevant to the code.

See also our mailing list guide, here:

And our blog guide, here:

And for IRC guidelines, here:

Acknowledgements

Much of the wording for the statements above is based on work by the Ubuntu, Mozilla, Rust, Twitter, Debian, and GNOME communities. We are grateful for their work.

[suggested for inclusion for IRC guide, from Rust]:

Moderation

These are the policies for upholding our community's standards of conduct in our communication channels, most notably in Tor-related IRC channels.

• Remarks that violate the Tor standards of conduct, including hateful, hurtful, oppressive, or exclusionary remarks, are not allowed. (Cursing is allowed, but never targeting another user, and never in a hateful manner.)
• Remarks that moderators find inappropriate, whether listed in the code of conduct or not, are also not allowed. Moderators will first respond to such remarks with a warning. If the warning is unheeded, the user will be "kicked," i.e., kicked out of the communication channel to cool off. If the user comes back and continues to make trouble, they will be banned, i.e., indefinitely excluded.
• Moderators may choose at their discretion to un-ban the user if it was a first offense and they offer the offended party a genuine apology.
• If a moderator bans someone and you think it was unjustified, please take it up with that moderator, or with a different moderator, in private. *Complaints about bans in-channel are not allowed. Moderators are held to a higher standard than other community members. If a moderator creates an inappropriate situation, they should expect less leeway than others.

alternative language for scope: The Code of Conduct governs how we behave in public or in private, whenever the project will be judged by our actions. We expect it to be honored by everyone who represents the Tor Project officially or informally, claims affiliation with the project, or participates directly