Bonjour,
In the past few weeks we discussed Code of Conduct in general and we’re reaching consensus on its content. It helped clarify that the SecureDrop Community is responsible for what happens in spaces that it occupies (for instance this forum or the SecureDrop booth at FOSDEM). Which means that people who are in these spaces should know they can rely on someone to create a safe environment.
This is an ongoing effort and I believe we’re in a good place. We did not need a Code of Conduct for that, because we’re still young and there are not many of us. Going forward I believe we need more than a Code of Conduct: we need to acknowledge and value people who make an effort to listen and defuse tension. Not only in their interactions with others but also when they hear members of the SecureDrop Community failing to communicate.
I have two examples in mind to make this less abstract:
- A few days ago I got frustrated and used aggressive language toward @kushaldas. The next day both @redshiftzero and @mickael reached out to me privately, listened to me and made me realize I overreacted.
- During the discussion about the Code of Conduct I felt that participants failed to communicate and reached out to each of them in private to take the time to better understand everybody’s point of view. I don’t claim that I succeeded. I tried.
We all make mistakes: sometimes we do things that make our environment less safe. But we also try to create a friendly environment, when we can. There is no need to brag about it but we should not be too secretive either. When someone is in the SecureDrop Community space, they need to know about people who volunteer to make an effort and keep it safe for everyone.
I think we need a few people who are willing to be identified as SecureDrop Community contact persons. Since we’re a horizontal community, volunteers can create a thread proposing to be listed as a contact person, for a period of time (six months? a year?). And if there is consensus after a week, they are added in a page where they can easily be found.This is not very formal but probably enough given we’re still small. What really matters is that every person actively involved in the SecureDrop Community get a chance to comment and express reservations.
What do you think?