COC Statements
February 15
As the organizers of the Internet Freedom Festival, it is our responsibility to create safer spaces for our community, wherever we have the ability to do so. In 2016, the IFF team adopted a code of conduct that applies to the Internet Freedom Festival and all associated spaces, online or in person. In conjunction, we brought together a Code of Conduct Committee that is comprised of diverse individuals from different regions and backgrounds. We have also always made it a priority to facilitate conversations around important topics such as consent, allyship, and well being, this year hiring a Community Health Lead to help with these objectives.
Recently, we have dealt with a number of reports of harassment by the leadership of Internet freedom organizations. As a result, the Code of Conduct Committee has decided on a policy for responding to these allegations to ensure the safety of the community.
If we learn of credible allegations of harassment by the leadership of another Internet freedom organization, that organization will be subject to the following rules until the allegations have been resolved effectively in our judgment:
- The organization cannot be a partner or sponsor of IFF.
- The organization cannot propose or host sessions at IFF.
- Leadership accused of harassment or whose role in the incident is not clear cannot attend IFF.
- Members of the organization who are NOT the subject of credible allegations of harassment may attend IFF and propose sessions as individuals.
We have notified the people who cannot attend IFF 2018 of their status.
To enforce the code of conduct, we have an incident response team that discusses each report confidentially and takes the action that will protect our community. If you have any questions or comments, please send them to codeofconduct@internetfreedomfestival.org
Yours in service,
The Code of Conduct Committee & IFF Team
