# Guidance on Conflict + Severe Violations **URL:** \ **Category:** đź“Ś Policies and Templates\ **Tags:** information, season-0, season-1\ **Created:** [June 1, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://gov.collab.land/t/guidance-on-conflict-severe-violations/36 "2023-06-01T23:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/gov.collab.land/system/32/44_2.png) [@system](https://gov.collab.land/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://gov.collab.land/t/guidance-on-conflict-severe-violations/36/1 "2023-06-01T23:30:23Z")
Huge thank you to the Optimism team for the [original draft](https://gov.optimism.io/t/guidance-on-severe-violations/5729) of this document. This version includes some changes and clarifications. # 0. SCOPE When talking about harassment it is important to understand who and what can be harassed. We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. This means treating people with kindness regardless of what you think they have done (i.e., even if you think they are scamming others). _ **No one deserves to be harassed.** _ > **Harassment is about how _you_ treat _them_ and has nothing to do with what they are doing.** ## 0.1 HARASSMENT VS. CRITICISM Before we get into the types of harassment, let’s make the distinction between making a valid critique of an individual or project’s actions and harassment. The following examples show positive vs negative ways of presenting criticism. - _ **EXAMPLES** _ # 1. CYBER BULLYING There are multiple ways you can [cyber bully](https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it) individuals and projects. They are all harmful and violate the [Code of Conduct {link}. ## 1.1 PUBLIC HARASSMENT Public harassment is attempting to make an individual or project look bad in a public space, such as Twitter or Discord. This kind of harassment often uses inflammatory and emotional language and may escalate to encouraging others to harass the individual as well ([see section 1.3](https://gov.collab.land/t/guidance-on-conflict-severe-violations/36#h-13-encouraging-others-to-harass-6)). It may take the form of multiple Tweet threads or messages directly attacking the individual or project. - _ **EXAMPLES** _ > To report public harassment provide evidence of multiple instances of this type of behavior on a public platform. Evidence such as screenshots. ## 1.2 PRIVATE HARASSMENT Private harassment looks like intimidation. This could take the form of directly messaging an individual and threatening to report them, [doxx](https://www.cyberghostvpn.com/en_US/privacyhub/what-is-doxxing-why-dangerous-how-to-avoid/), or otherwise cause them distress. Private harassment is a repeated behavior; one message warning that “you will be reported” does not qualify as harassment. Private harassment is often done as a means to an end, for example threatening to release information if an individual does not perform a certain action (such as voting a specific way or sending funds). Private harassment does not need to have ulterior motives to qualify. Private harassment does require multiple offenses to qualify. > To report private harassment, provide evidence such as screenshots of multiple direct messages. ## 1.3 ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO HARASS Encouraging others to attack, harass, or otherwise disrupt an individual or project also constitutes harassment. This may look like encouraging others to report a project or person on a platform (like Twitter, Discord, Reddit, YouTube, etc.). This is especially harmful during investigations as it may obscure evidence or escalate to doxxing. > To report encouragement of harassment, provide evidence such as multiple screenshots of posts (on any platform) that encourage, suggest, or otherwise imply that others should join in the harassment. # 2. DOXXING _ **Privacy is a fundamental human right that the Co-op takes seriously.** _ [Doxxing](https://www.cyberghostvpn.com/en_US/privacyhub/what-is-doxxing-why-dangerous-how-to-avoid/) is searching for and posting or otherwise making publicly available any private or personally identifying information, in a public forum, where the information was not already available. The information does not have to be correct for it to constitute doxxing. ## 2.1 PERSONAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION Doxxing includes sharing information that identifies a person, such as their real name, place of work, links to other profiles of theirs that have additional personal information (such as a LinkedIn profile), and the like. - _ **EXAMPLE** _ To report this type of doxxing, you would have to provide evidence such as a screenshot of the offender posting personally identifying information in a public forum. ### 2.1.1 LINKING INFORMATION Doxxing includes searching for information about an individual that links their anon profile to their identity. This can look like posting a photo of an anon person (say, from a conference) and tagging their anon handle, thus linking their face to their handle. ALWAYS ask permission before posting photos that have other people in them. > To report this type of doxxing, provide evidence such as a screenshot of the offender posting a photo or personally identifying information in a public forum. ## 2.2 PHYSICAL LOCATION Doxxing also includes publicly disclosing someone’s physical location. This can look like posting hotel rooms, home addresses, or place of work address (office address). To qualify as a physical location doxxing for purposes of violating the [Code of Conduct], the location information needs to be specific enough for someone to reasonably find the person based off this information. Note: Disclosing someone’s physical location is still strongly discouraged even if it does not amount to a [Code of Conduct violation]). - _ **EXAMPLES** _ > To report this type of doxxing, provide evidence such as a screenshot of the offender posting your physical location in a public forum. ## Update Process The Code of Conduct{link}, the [Rules of Engagement](https://gov.collab.land/t/rules-of-engagement/35), and any other associated documents must only be updated between Seasons or following extraordinary circumstances that require immediate updates. In all cases, a change log will be published for delegates. ---
**Author:** ![iSpeakNerd](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/gov.collab.land/ispeaknerd/32/6_2.png) [@iSpeakNerd](https://gov.collab.land/u/iSpeakNerd)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://gov.collab.land/t/guidance-on-conflict-severe-violations/36/2 "2023-06-01T23:30:25Z")
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**Author:** ![iSpeakNerd](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/gov.collab.land/ispeaknerd/32/6_2.png) [@iSpeakNerd](https://gov.collab.land/u/iSpeakNerd)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://gov.collab.land/t/guidance-on-conflict-severe-violations/36/3 "2023-06-02T15:23:28Z")
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**Author:** ![iSpeakNerd](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/gov.collab.land/ispeaknerd/32/6_2.png) [@iSpeakNerd](https://gov.collab.land/u/iSpeakNerd)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://gov.collab.land/t/guidance-on-conflict-severe-violations/36/4 "2023-06-02T15:23:58Z")