As contributors and maintainers of the Circles project we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of level of experience, technical preferences, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, education, financial status, race, ethnicity, age, religion or nationality.
Circles is a community project maintained by volunteers and people dedicated to it in various organizational forms. While we are working hard to improve the infrastructure, stability and code, please be respectful with the contributors around this project which dedicate their limited time to make all of this work.
We expect contributors, moderators, members and organizers of the Circles project to remain mindful of, and take responsibility for, their speech and behavior. This includes:
- Acting out of respect for others.
- Actively listening to others and not dominating discussions.
- Respecting physical and emotional boundaries.
- Attempt collaboration before conflict.
- Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert moderators if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Personal attacks, violence, threats of violence, or deliberate intimidation.
- Offensive, derogatory, or discriminatory comments.
- Gratuitous or off-topic use of sexual language or imagery.
- Inappropriate or unwanted attention, touching, or physical contact (sexual or otherwise).
- Inappropriate or unwanted public or private communication, following, or any form of stalking.
- Unwanted photography or recording.
- Disclosure of a person's identity or other private information without their consent. Disclosure of some identifying information is not consent to disclose other identifying information.
- Inappropriate or unwanted publication of private communication. Publishing or reporting private communication or personally identifying information for the purposes of reporting harassment (as explained here) and/or in the case of whistleblowing, is acceptable.
- Harming the discussion or community with methods such as sustained disruption, interruption, or blocking of community collaboration (i.e. trolling).
- Discrimination, particularly against marginalized and otherwise underrepresented groups. Targeted outreach to such groups is allowed and encouraged.
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 occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.
If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please contact our moderator as soon as possible. You reach the counsellor via email [email protected]. This email account is accessible to all members of the bitspossessed collective but is only monitored by the counsellor, which is currently @mikozet from the bitspossessed collective. If the topic is sensitive, please ask for a call in the email. Emails will be regularly deleted every 3 months.
Moderators will follow internal guidelines for enforcing our Code of Conduct. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. Moderators are obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident.
Additionally, our moderators are available to help community members engage with local law enforcement or to otherwise help those experiencing unacceptable behavior feel safe.