Just agree to change a set of documents using
a "community-driven governance". Protocol extensions should contain
protocol extensions, and nothing but them. It is a technical documentation,
but such things turn it into a political manifest.


On Fri, 4 Feb 2022, 15:39 JC Brand, <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
> On 04.02.22 11:20, Andrew Nenakhov wrote:
>
> 1. From what I've seen, CoCs are used so silence or scare into silence
> people with differing political opinions (so much for tolerance). The
> language of this CoC, too, is too broad and allows for such misuse.
>
> 2. XEPs are not the place for such documents. If XSF wants to have a code
> of conduct, it can well publish it on it's website in a Code of Conduct
> section.
>
> Use of XEPs for such purposes is a sign of bureaucracy apparatus that had
> forgotten its original goal and is now a self-serving process.
>
>
> I think one argument in favour of using a XEP is that this allows for a
> community-driven governance process of managing and changing the document
> over time.
>
> A CoC simply hosted as a webpage outside of the XEP process is much more
> open to abuse since it can be changed at any time without oversight.
>
>
> - JC
>
>
> On Fri, 4 Feb 2022, 15:10 JC Brand, <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Dear list
>>
>> The community code of conduct (xep-0458) came up for an approval vote in
>> a recent board meeting.
>>
>> I've gone through the document and am writing down my thoughts and
>> feedback here.
>>
>> Quoted parts are directly from the document.
>>
>> > The examples in this document of what not to do are intended to be
>> just that - examples. They are not intended to be exhaustive. Many of these
>> examples have formal definitions, either in law or elsewhere - in general,
>> if you are reliant on such a definition to argue why your behaviour might
>> be acceptable, you have already lost the argument.
>>
>> I don't think it's in the purview of this document to pre-emptively
>> decide whether someone has "won" or "lost" an argument. Even phrasing it
>> that way, as a competition, is in my opinion problematic.
>>
>> > Ordinarily, the XMPP Standards Foundation welcomes and encourages
>> participation in XSF Activities, but this guiding principle allows the XSF
>> to partially or completely exclude anyone from any activity, for any reason.
>>
>> I think the phrasing "for any reason" is too harsh and leaves this
>> document open to abuse. It makes it sound as if the XSF claims the right to
>> be capricious. I would drop that last bit.
>>
>> > By explicitly stating that this Code of Conduct applies this allows
>> the XSF to sanction bad behaviour outside of XSF Activities should the need
>> arise.
>>
>> I'm against this statement as written. What someone does in their private
>> life, unrelated to the XSF and outside of XSF activities has no bearing on
>> the XSF and the XSF has no justifiable basis to sanction that person for it.
>>
>> Also "bad behaviour" is incredibly broad. What is "bad behaviour"? In
>> some societies things that are considered bad behaviour are celebrated in
>> other societies. Social norms change and a sentence such as this makes this
>> document and its related process open to abuse.
>>
>> This makes me think of Brendan Eich who got fired by Mozilla for donating
>> money to a campaign against gay marriage. With this kind of wording in the
>> document, I wouldn't be surprised if something similar could be attempted
>> in the XSF. I would be against that, particularly because it's outside the
>> purview of the XSF. The argument made in Mozilla at the time was that
>> Eich's act caused Mozilla employees to feel "excluded", a word that pops up
>> regularly in this document as well.
>>
>> Ideally politics is left outside of the XSF and I've made the argument
>> before that the XSF is apolitical and we should not get involved in
>> politics. One of my concerns of a document such as this is that it can be
>> used as a tool to start political fights and campaigns inside the XSF.
>>
>> > using sexualised language in your erotic fiction hobby is likely to be
>> irrelevant to this Code of Conduct.
>>
>> The use of "likely" here leaves the door open to sanction people for
>> their private endeavors.
>>
>> > It may also be in some cases people may prefer to report informally;
>> while reporting "properly" is preferred, the Conduct Team should strive to
>> handle informal reports in the same way if possible.
>>
>> To me this reads as encouraging gossip and for the Conduct Team to
>> respond to gossip. If someone doesn't report formally, I don't think the
>> Conduct Team should get involved in any dispute.
>>
>> > The Conduct Team may ask for further information from you, the person
>> accused of bad conduct, or others who were present
>>
>> This sentence and most of this section is written as if the reader is the
>> reporter. I find this biased. It might also be that the reader is being
>> reported, and I therefore think this should all be written in the 3rd
>> person, i.e. no use of "you".
>>
>> >Finally, the Conduct Team will make a decision on sanctions or other
>> action.
>>
>> This makes it sound like some action will be taken. In some cases, no
>> actions might be taken.
>>
>> Considering the "Security Considerations" section.
>>
>> > It is possible for almost any behaviour to have some argument why it
>> is not, in fact, exclusionary, and why it's just someone taking offence too
>> easily. It also is possible for the Code of Conduct to be weaponised for
>> exclusionary purposes, by using the complaints mechanism to stall or
>> silence valid debate.
>>
>> There are other ways to weaponise a CoC and not just to silence debate,
>> but also to exclude and create ideological conformity inside the XSF.
>>
>> There are of course situations where this might be valid, for example
>> someone openly expressing illegal speech (e.g. calling for genocide etc.),
>> but IMO the bar should be very high here.
>>
>> I see the terms "inclusion" and "exclusion" used a lot in this document,
>> but I don't see anything about tolerance. Tolerance means that while you
>> don't necessarily approve of someone's personal decisions, you tolerate it
>> in order to keep the peace and to not let the disagreement interfere with
>> goal or task at hand.
>>
>>
>> Regards
>> JC
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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