This is the enforcement manual followed by Hermit's core team ("core team") when dealing with reported code of conduct violations. It's used when we respond to an issue to make sure we're consistent and fair. It should be considered an internal document, but we're publishing it publicly in the interests of transparency.
When a report is sent to the core team they will immediately reply to the report to confirm receipt. This reply must be sent within 24 hours, and the team should strive to respond much quicker than that.
The core team will then appoint a "working group" of at least two people from the core team who will be responsible for investigating the report and determining an appropriate response.
See the Reporting Guide for details of what reports should contain. If a report doesn't contain enough information, the working group will obtain all relevant data before acting. The working group is empowered to act on the Hermit core team's behalf in contacting any individuals involved to get a more complete account of events.
The working group will then review the incident and determine, to the best of their ability:
- what happened
- whether this event constitutes a code of conduct violation
- who, if anyone, was the bad actor
- whether this is an ongoing situation, and there is a threat to anyone's physical safety
This information will be collected in writing, and whenever possible the group's deliberations will be recorded and retained (i.e. IRC transcripts, email discussions, recorded voice conversations, etc).
The working group should aim to have a resolution agreed upon within one week. In the event that a resolution can't be determined in that time, the group will respond to the reporter(s) with an update and projected timeline for resolution.
If the act is ongoing (such as someone engaging in harassment in
#hermit), or involves a threat to anyone's safety (e.g. threats of
violence), any working group member may act immediately (before
reaching consensus) to end the situation. In ongoing situations, any
member may at their discretion employ any of the tools available to
the working group, including bans and blocks.
If the incident involves physical danger, any member of the working group may -- and should -- act unilaterally to protect safety. This can include contacting law enforcement (or other local personnel) and speaking on behalf of the Hermit core team.
In situations where an individual group member acts unilaterally, they must report their actions to the working group for review within 24 hours.
The working group must agree on a resolution by consensus. If the group cannot reach consensus and deadlocks for over a week, the group will turn the matter over to the core team for resolution.
Possible responses may include:
- Taking no further action (if we determine no violation occurred).
- A private reprimand from the working group to the individual(s) involved. In this case, one member of the working group will deliver that reprimand to the individual(s) over email, cc'ing the group.
- A public reprimand. In this case, the group chair will deliver that reprimand in the same venue that the violation occurred (i.e. in IRC for an IRC violation; email for an email violation, etc.). The group may choose to publish this message elsewhere for posterity.
- An imposed vacation (i.e. asking someone to "take a week off" from a mailing list or IRC). The group chair will communicate this "vacation" to the individual(s). They'll be asked to take this vacation voluntarily, but if they don't agree then a temporary ban may be imposed to enforce this vacation.
- A permanent or temporary ban from some or all Hermit spaces (mailing lists, IRC, etc.). The group will maintain records of all such bans so that they may be reviewed in the future, extended to new Hermit fora, or otherwise maintained.
- A request for a public or private apology. The chair will deliver this request. The group may, if it chooses, attach "strings" to this request: for example, the group may ask a violator to apologize in order to retain his or her membership on a mailing list.
Once a resolution is agreed upon, but before it is enacted, the working group will contact the original reporter and any other affected parties and explain the proposed resolution. The working group will ask if this resolution is acceptable, and must note feedback for the record. However, the working group is not required to act on this feedback.
Finally the working group will make a report to the rest of the Hermit core team.
The working group will never publicly discuss the issue; all public statements will be made by the Hermit core team.
In the event of any conflict of interest a working group member must immediately notify the other members, and recuse themselves if necessary.