Code of Conduct
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (“AnitaB.org”, “our” or “we”) believes our community should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all attendees, sponsors, volunteers, speakers, organizers, venue staff, media, exhibitors, vendors and other guests (collectively, “Participants”, “you” or “your”) of AnitaB.org events, including, but not limited to Grace Hopper Celebration (“GHC”), programs, online platforms, and workshops (collectively “Programs”). All Participants are required to conduct themselves in such a way to keep Programs free from discrimination and harassment for any reason including on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, medical condition, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. This Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for Participant behavior as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.
Expected Behavior
All Participants are expected to:
- Be considerate, respectful, and collaborative;
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior or speech;
- Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow Participants – your fellow Participants may have a different level of comfort with respect to language and personal space; and
- Alert Program staff or call 911 if you notice a dangerous situation or someone in distress.
Online Behavior
If you post to one of our social media channels or otherwise respond or comment on one of our posts, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. Please bear in mind that posts, comments, and responses posted on our channels are not always authored by AnitaB.org and can come from members of the public. The content of any posts or comments (including opinions and statements) shared on our channels do not necessarily reflect the views of AnitaB.org and are the responsibility of the individual person or entity representative posting them. AnitaB.org is a public organization and we will act within our rights to redirect or regulate online discussions to ensure compliance with this Code of Conduct and our mission.
Unacceptable Behavior
Whether in-person or online, all Participants are expected to refrain from making or engaging in:
- Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning conduct;
- Offensive verbal comments including as related to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, age, political affiliation, or religion;
- Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides) or sexually explicit material of any kind—including masked profanity where symbols, initials, intentional misspellings, or other characters are used to suggest profane language;
- Threats, personal attacks, abusive, defamatory, derogatory, or inflammatory language;
- Disclosure of the names of any individuals and/or other information that could allow anyone to identify the individual(s), such as an address, phone number, etc., unless those individuals have expressly consented to such use;
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following;
- Harassing photography or recording;
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events;
- Unsubstantiated claims or information plagiarized from another source;
- Information that is false, inaccurate, misleading, or would be considered libel, slander, or defamation of character;
- Disclosure of third-party confidential or non-public information;
- Inappropriate physical contact;
- Unwelcomed sexual attention;
- Predatory conduct towards minors;
- Text, pictures or images that could be described as obscene, profane, lewd, crude, vulgar, offensive, provocative or pornographic, or as containing gang signs or symbols, gun imagery, political or religious propaganda, derogatory characterizations of any ethnic, racial, sexual or religious group, depictions of alcohol or drug abuse, or promotion of illegal activity of any kind;
- Software viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs or any other computer code or files or disabling mechanisms that are designed to disrupt, damage or limit the functioning of any software, hardware, telecommunications equipment or that interferes with the operation of the social media site;
- Advertising and/or spam. Acceptable advertising will be allowed if the content is done in good faith by members of the community with an offering that directly benefits members of the community and aligns with the mission of AnitaB.org;
- Any other content that violates this Code of Conduct or other AnitaB.org policy, as determined in our sole discretion.
Note: some program venues are shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior
Unacceptable behavior by Participants will not be tolerated. If a Participant engages in unacceptable behavior, the Program staff may take any action they deem appropriate, at their sole discretion, up to and including expulsion from the Program without warning or refund.
Additionally, we reserve the right to reject or remove comments that are not in keeping with this Code of Conduct or our mission, and to block or ban users/followers who violate this policy.
What to Do If You Witness or Are Subject to Unacceptable Behavior
If you are subject to unacceptable behavior, notice that someone else is being subject to unacceptable behavior, or have concerns that this Code of Conduct is not being followed, please notify a Program staff person as soon as possible or send an email to GHC@AnitaB.org. To the extent possible, all reports will remain completely confidential. Program staff will determine and carry out the appropriate course of action and will be available to help Participants experiencing unacceptable behavior feel safe for the duration of the Program.
Scope
We expect all Participants to abide by this Code of Conduct at all Program venues and Program-related social events. Participants seek to learn, network, and have fun. Please do so responsibly and with respect for the right of others to do likewise. Thank you for your cooperation in helping AnitaB.org maintain an inclusive, friendly, safe, and welcoming Program environment.
License and Attribution
This Code of Conduct is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license and is based on works at Open Source Bridge and http://www.gdconf.com/codeofconduct.html.
Updated: October 20, 2023