15. Code of conduct

15.1. Introduction

The Charliecloud project is committed to a safe, ethical, and harassment-free experience for everyone, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because that is the most productive way to build open source software. We want a work environment that is not merely free from hostility but rather one that is actively welcoming and inclusive, one that empowers people to provide outstanding public service.

Such an atmosphere requires an open exchange of ideas balanced by respect and thoughtful guidelines. If we have openness without respect, participants receiving intentional or unintentional hurtful behavior may reasonably withdraw. If we have overly intrusive rules, people may feel unwelcome.

This code of conduct summarizes expectations for everyone participating in the Charliecloud project. Importantly, these expectations apply regardless of other norms, policies, or codes of coduct that participants may be subject to (e.g., imposed by employers). We have deliberately chosen a plain-language approach to promote a culture of inclusion and respect.

We expect all participants in the Charliecloud project to exhibit the professional behaviors described in this code. This includes everyone participating in all Charliecloud venues, both physical and virtual, including events and meetings, offices where Charliecloud work is being done, mailing lists and private e-mail, chat rooms (e.g. Mattermost or Slack), and code repositories.

Some Charliecloud venues may have additional rules, which will be clearly available. Participants in these venues are responsible for knowing and abiding by them as well.

While this code applies to Charliecloud venues, a productive and inclusive culture requires Charliecloud community members to be trustworthy. Therefore, members’ professionalism outside Charliecloud is also relevant to the Charliecloud community.

This code of conduct is maintained and enforced by the Charliecloud Technical Steering Committee (TSC).

15.2. Behavioral expectations

In general, be kind. Do your best to understand how others would like to be treated, and treat them that way. This differs from the “golden rule” in that the guiding principle is to treat others according to their preferences rather your own.

It is impractical to list in full everything that members of the Charliecloud community can do to foster inclusion. However, when in doubt, we encourage consideration of these principles:

  • Practice empathy, humility, and patience.

  • Assume competence and good faith of others.

  • Assume that everyone is doing their best work for the public.

  • Listen carefully, actively, and more than you speak.

  • Ask questions and seek to understand the context of others.

  • Actively encourage others who are speaking less to raise their ideas.

  • Treat others’ identities and cultures with respect. Make an effort to pronounce names correctly and refer to people by their chosen pronouns.

Inappropriate behavior includes:

  • Unwelcome remarks related to gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental or physical illness, neuro(a)typicality, appearance, body size, age, race/ethnicity, national origin, accent or first language, genetics, marital/parental status, socioeconomic status/background, or similar attributes.

  • Unwelcome remarks regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, religion, parenting, drugs, and employment.

  • Deliberate misgendering or use of “dead” or rejected names.

  • Touching people without their affirmative consent, or simulated touching (e.g. text descriptions like *hug* or *backrub*).

  • Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images, text, behavior, etc.

  • Sexual/romantic remarks, attention, or advances, unless clearly consented to and there is no possibility of actual or perceived coercion.

  • Violence of any kind.

  • Threats or incitement of violence. This includes shouting/yelling. It also includes encouraging a person to harm others or themselves, or asserting that a situation would be better if they did.

  • Intimidation, stalking, or following.

  • Unwelcome photography, audio/video recording, or activity logging.

  • Sustained disruption of discussion, meetings, presentations, etc. including “sealioning” or “gish galloping”.

  • Any pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.

  • Continued private or one-on-one communication after a request to cease.

  • Outing of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent, notably including “dead” or rejected names, except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from abuse.

  • Condescending or mocking feedback.

  • Repeatedly interrupting or talking over others.

  • Publication of communications made with a reasonable consensus expectation of privacy.

  • Retaliation against people who object to (potentially) inappropriate behavior.

  • Bad faith complaints or reports of inappropriate behavior.

  • Harassment of any kind.

  • Coded, implicit, or indirect instances of the above behavior.

The Charliecloud project prioritizes the safety of those lower in a power structure over the comfort of those higher. Generally, complaints regarding the following will not be considered:

  • “Reverse” -isms, including “reverse racism”, “reverse sexism”, and “cisphobia”.

  • Reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you”.

  • Communicating in a “tone” you don’t find congenial.

  • Criticizing inappropriate behavior or oppressive practices/systems.

The Charliecloud project embraces weirdness but not unkindness or inappropriateness. For example, neurodivergence is not an excuse for inappropriate behavior, nor is “edgy” humor.

Finally, the Charliecloud project does not tolerate intolerance, because doing so “risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance, thereby undermining the very principle of tolerance”.

15.3. Reporting actual or suspected inappropriate behavior

If you encounter or suspect inappropriate behavior in Charliecloud venues or by Charliecloud community members, whether directed at you or someone else, please report it. Note that those subject to inappropriate behavior may not feel safe reporting it themselves, making it important for others to do so, especially those in a position of power.

When safety and power dynamics allow, challenging inappropriate behavior immediately in context (e.g., in the same discussion that an inappropriate comment occurs) can be highly effective. This does not have to be confrontational; one useful strategy is to simply ask probing/clarifying questions (e.g. “I don’t get that joke; can you explain it to me?”).

Whether or not already challenged, inappropriate behavior can be reported to the Technical Steering Committee (TSC) at tsc-private@lists.charliecloud.io (a private mailing list with only TSC members and a few Linux Foundation oversight people) or to any TSC member directly. Any TSC members involved will recuse themselves from handling the issue. We will respond as promptly as practical.

Finally, inappropriate behavior can also be reported directly to the Linux Foundation; see the LF Events Code of Conduct.

The TSC may reject reports made in bad faith (e.g., intended to silence legitimate criticism) with or without response.

We will respect confidentiality requests that protect the targets of inappropriate behavior to the maximum extent practical. We will similarly protect the identities of such targets unless we have their affirmative consent otherwise.

There is no period of time after which a report will no longer be considered (i.e., no “statute of limitations”), though it is easier to investigate fresh reports. Likewise, all good-faith reports of inappropriate behavior by Charliecloud community members outside Charliecloud venues and/or at any point in time will be taken seriously.

15.4. Consequences

Participants asked to stop any inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Anyone who violates these expectations may be sanctioned at the discretion of the Charliecloud TSC or its delegates. If severity of the violation warrants, this can include expulsion on first offense, warning individuals and/or the Charliecloud community as a whole with appropriate detail, as well as escalation to other oversight bodies such as employers, HPSF/LF, conference organizers, and law enforcement.

Importantly, lack of response to any given incident does imply that the TSC will not sanction future identical behavior.

15.5. Other resources

The Charliecloud project also recommends the following for understanding appropriate norms of professional conduct.

15.6. Sources

This code of conduct is based on the Geek Feminism model anti-harassment policy and the Technology Transformation Service code. Both of these are in the public domain and were led by Annalee Flower Horne.