We are seeking the community’s feedback on our updated draft RIPE Code of Conduct. This article explains what has changed since we published our previous draft back in March.
A Code of Conduct Task Force (CoC TF) was formed to update RIPE's Code of Conduct and supporting processes following discussion at RIPE 80.
The TF drafted an updated Code of Conduct and shared it with the community in March and, as promised at RIPE 82, have now published a new draft. This blog post describes the reasons for making some of the recent changes in the updated draft.
Changes in our Latest Draft
We have introduced section numbers and simplified language to make the intentions clearer. This is in response to comments about difficulty understanding some of the terms used in the initial draft.
We got questions at RIPE 82 about how the work for the Code of Conduct came about, so we have included a summary of the history in the introduction.
We have included a new “Call to Action” section with the goal of making people feel empowered to make others aware of their behaviour when it is inappropriate. This section also explicitly adds a request that people make reports. We hope that this will lead to a more welcoming environment for everyone.
The first draft had a section about making reports to the authorities where necessary. Several people raised concerns about reporters losing control of the process. We have now dropped this section entirely because this document is about promoting ethical behaviour and requirements for making reports to the authorities are set out in law.
We also took note of feedback from RIPE 82, where we were advised to make use of the good work done in other communities. We have done this and introduced two new subsections inspired by other codes of conduct. One notes that aggressive or intimidating behaviour is not acceptable. The other notes that there is discretion to reject reports that were made in bad faith, such as a report made in retaliation for an earlier report.
We will also discuss the changes in a webinar, which has been scheduled for 1 September 2021, and will release more information about the session nearer the time. We recognise that it will not be possible for everyone to attend this webinar, so it will be recorded and the recording will be published.
The RIPE Chair will evaluate the community’s consensus based on comments made by 17 September 2021.
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