Building Ethical, Abundant Futures Together
"No rules here, for any rule is unfreedom. We give choices."
In the interest of fostering an open, welcoming, and inclusive environment, we as members, contributors, and leaders of the ê/uto network pledge to make participation in our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of:
- Age
- Body size
- Visible or invisible disability
- Ethnicity
- Sex characteristics
- Gender identity and expression
- Level of experience
- Education
- Socio-economic status
- Nationality
- Personal appearance
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual identity and orientation
- Neurodiversity
- Background or skill level
We are committed to creating a space where everyone can contribute to increasing p(e/uto) — the probability of ethical, abundant futures for all.
"No rules here, for any rule is unfreedom. We give choices."
We operate on principles rather than rigid rules. We limit only the branches that prevent others from growing — so freedom multiplies.
- Truth as Foundation - Honesty and transparency in all interactions
- Conscious Collaboration - Mindful co-creation with others
- Ethical Innovation - Technology that serves human flourishing
- Radical Inclusion - Welcome all who come in good faith
- Growth Mindset - Continuous learning and evolution
Inspired by the GMSF framework:
- Truth First - Seek and speak truth, admit uncertainty
- Do No Harm - Prevent suffering, promote wellbeing
- Maximize Freedom - Expand possibilities, don't restrict unnecessarily
Communication:
- Using welcoming and inclusive language
- Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
- Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
- Focusing on what is best for the community
- Showing empathy towards other community members
- Assuming positive intent
Collaboration:
- Amplifying others' contributions
- Giving credit where due
- Sharing knowledge generously
- Mentoring newcomers patiently
- Celebrating others' successes
- Building on ideas collaboratively
Conflict Resolution:
- Using the three-cycle dialectical process:
- Thesis - Present your perspective
- Antithesis - Understand opposing view
- Synthesis - Find higher-order resolution
- Seeking understanding before being understood
- Engaging in good faith debate
- Finding common ground
Truth and Integrity:
- Admitting when you don't know something
- Correcting your mistakes openly
- Disclosing conflicts of interest
- Citing sources and giving credit
- Being transparent about AI assistance
Consent and Boundaries:
- Respecting people's time and energy
- Asking before sharing personal information
- Honoring "no" without pressure
- Being mindful of different comfort levels
- Supporting people's boundaries
Harassment:
- Offensive comments related to protected characteristics
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
- Unwelcome sexual attention or advances
- Sustained disruption of discussions
- Doxxing (publishing private information)
- Threats of violence
Dishonesty:
- Plagiarism or claiming others' work
- Spreading misinformation knowingly
- Misrepresenting credentials or authority
- Deceptive or manipulative behavior
- Violating intellectual property rights
Disruption:
- Trolling, insulting, or derogatory comments
- Political or religious flame wars
- Spam or excessive self-promotion
- Derailing discussions repeatedly
- Sealioning (bad faith questioning)
Exploitation:
- Taking advantage of contributors
- Extracting value without giving back
- Using community for purely commercial gain
- Manipulating or gaslighting members
- Creating dependencies or power imbalances
Exclusion:
- Gatekeeping or elitism
- Making people feel unwelcome
- Dismissing others' contributions
- Creating in-groups and out-groups
- Discrimination of any kind
Community leaders (moderators, maintainers, branch leads) are responsible for:
- Clarifying and enforcing standards of acceptable behavior
- Taking appropriate and fair corrective action
- Removing, editing, or rejecting contributions that violate this Code
- Communicating reasons for moderation decisions when appropriate
- Protecting the psychological safety of all members
We believe in:
- Education over punishment - Most issues arise from misunderstanding
- Proportional response - Match the intervention to the severity
- Restorative justice - Repair harm, rebuild relationships
- Context matters - Consider intent, impact, and history
- Privacy respected - Handle issues discretely when possible
This Code of Conduct applies to:
- GitHub repositories (issues, PRs, discussions, wikis)
- Discord server (all channels, DMs originating from server)
- X/Twitter communities and posts
- Community events (virtual or in-person)
- Email communications
- Any other official ê/uto spaces
This Code also applies when an individual is officially representing the community in public spaces, including:
- Using official community accounts
- Acting as a representative at events
- Speaking on behalf of ê/uto
- Wearing or displaying community branding in public contexts
While we cannot enforce standards in purely personal spaces, behavior that impacts the community (such as harassment originating outside official channels) may still be addressed.
If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior, please report it through one of these channels:
1. Discord Moderation:
- DM any moderator directly
- Use
/reportcommand (if available) - Post in moderation channel (if you have access)
2. GitHub:
- Email: cosimos.portinari@gmail.com
- Create private issue (if enabled)
- Report via GitHub's reporting feature
3. Anonymous:
- Anonymous feedback form: admonymous.co/melonusk
When reporting, please provide:
- Who - People involved (if comfortable sharing)
- What - Description of the behavior
- When - Date and time
- Where - Which channel/space
- Context - Any relevant background
- Evidence - Screenshots, links, quotes (if available)
- Impact - How this affected you or others
- Preferred outcome - What would help (if you know)
- Acknowledgment - We'll confirm receipt within 24 hours
- Investigation - We'll gather information and context
- Decision - We'll determine appropriate response
- Action - We'll implement consequences if needed
- Follow-up - We'll check in with involved parties
- Review - We'll evaluate if policies need updating
We will:
- Keep reporter identity confidential unless you waive this
- Share only necessary information with those who need to know
- Not discuss reports publicly without all parties' consent
- Store reports securely with limited access
Community leaders will follow these guidelines in determining consequences:
Impact: Minor violation, likely unintentional
Examples:
- Inappropriate language
- Minor breach of etiquette
- First-time minor infraction
Consequence:
- Private, written warning
- Explanation of violation
- Request for public apology (optional)
- Education on community standards
Impact: Moderate violation or repeated minor violations
Examples:
- Sustained inappropriate behavior
- Disrespectful communication
- Minor harassment
- Repeated minor infractions after correction
Consequence:
- Formal written warning
- Temporary restriction (e.g., no posting for 24-48 hours)
- Required acknowledgment of understanding
- Possible temporary ban from specific channels
Impact: Serious violation or pattern of problems
Examples:
- Serious harassment
- Sustained trolling or disruption
- Violation of trust or safety
- Multiple warnings ignored
Consequence:
- Temporary ban (7-30 days typically)
- Clear conditions for return
- No participation in community spaces during ban
- Review before reinstatement
Impact: Severe violation, pattern of serious issues, or demonstrating danger
Examples:
- Severe harassment or threats
- Doxxing or privacy violations
- Sustained predatory behavior
- Violating ban terms
- Criminal activity
Consequence:
- Permanent ban from all community spaces
- No possibility of return (or only after significant time and evidence of change)
- Report to relevant authorities if appropriate
- Public statement if necessary for community safety
If you believe a moderation decision was unfair:
- Wait 48 hours - Let emotions settle
- Contact different moderator - Not the one who made decision
- Present your case:
- Why you believe decision was wrong
- Any mitigating circumstances
- What you've learned
- How you'll do better
- Review - Leadership team will review
- Decision - Final decision will be communicated
- Accept outcome - Gracefully accept final decision
- One appeal per incident
- Appeals decided by consensus of leaders
- New evidence can warrant reconsideration
- False or bad faith appeals may worsen consequences
Whenever possible and appropriate, we prefer restorative approaches:
- Acknowledge Harm - Offender recognizes impact
- Take Responsibility - Accept accountability without excuses
- Make Amends - Actively repair what was broken
- Learn and Grow - Demonstrate changed behavior
- Rebuild Trust - Gradually re-earn community standing
Restorative justice works best when:
- Harm was unintentional
- Offender shows genuine remorse
- Victim is willing to participate
- Community supports the process
- There's no ongoing danger
Immediate removal is better when:
- Behavior was predatory or criminal
- There's imminent danger
- Pattern of serious violations
- No genuine remorse shown
- Victim doesn't feel safe
Based on GMSF's three-cycle dialectical process:
Before addressing conflict:
- What happened from your perspective?
- What are your feelings and needs?
- What outcome do you want?
- Are you calm enough to engage?
Seek to understand the other:
- What's their perspective?
- What might they be feeling?
- What context might you be missing?
- Can you steelman their position?
Find higher ground:
- What's the shared goal?
- Where's the common ground?
- What solution serves everyone?
- How can you move forward together?
- Direct dialogue has failed
- Power imbalance exists
- Safety is a concern
- Need neutral facilitator
- Behavior violates Code
Your Responsibilities:
- Treat others with respect
- Follow community standards
- Report violations you witness
- Support positive culture
- Give feedback constructively
Your Rights:
- Participate without harassment
- Express ideas respectfully
- Disagree with others
- Report without retaliation
- Appeal decisions
Additional Responsibilities:
- Model excellent behavior
- Mentor newcomers kindly
- Give constructive code reviews
- Credit others' work
- Maintain professional standards
Your Rights:
- Recognition for contributions
- Feedback on your work
- Collaborative environment
- Clear contribution guidelines
- Fair review process
Your Responsibilities:
- Enforce Code fairly and consistently
- Model exemplary behavior
- Handle reports promptly
- Maintain confidentiality
- Act without bias
- Communicate decisions clearly
- Support community culture
Your Powers:
- Warn, mute, kick, or ban
- Remove content
- Make final decisions
- Represent community
Your Limitations:
- Must follow due process
- Must provide reasoning
- Cannot act on personal grudges
- Subject to oversight
- Can be removed if abusing power
- Is clear and accessible
- Respects all identities
- Avoids assumptions
- Uses people-first language
- Considers cultural differences
Inclusive:
- "Everyone" or "folks" (not "guys")
- "Partner" or "spouse" (not assuming heterosexuality)
- "They/them" when gender unknown
- "Person with disability" (not "disabled person")
- "Neurodivergent" (not "crazy" or "insane")
Avoid:
- Gendered language for mixed groups
- Racial stereotypes or slurs
- Ableist language
- Mental health stigma
- Cultural appropriation
- Apologize sincerely
- Correct yourself
- Learn the right term
- Move forward
- Don't make it about you
Be Constructive:
- Critique code, not people
- Explain "why" not just "what"
- Suggest alternatives
- Praise good work
- Ask questions, don't command
Examples:
❌ Bad: "This is terrible code." ✅ Good: "This could be more efficient. Consider using map() instead of forEach(). Would you like an example?"
❌ Bad: "You don't know what you're doing." ✅ Good: "I see what you're trying to do. Here's a pattern that might work better: [example]"
Be Supportive:
- Start with what works
- Be specific about improvements
- Offer suggestions, not demands
- Respect artistic vision
- Acknowledge effort
Examples:
❌ Bad: "This looks ugly." ✅ Good: "The concept is interesting! The color palette might be more cohesive if we adjusted the contrast. What were you going for?"
If interactions in the community affect your wellbeing:
- Take breaks when needed
- Set boundaries
- Use blocking/muting features
- Reach out to support systems
- Consider professional help
Crisis Resources:
- International: findahelpline.com
- US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- UK: 116 123 Samaritans
- More: suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
- Three-Cycle Dialectical Process
- Nonviolent Communication
- Community mediation (ask moderators)
This Code of Conduct is a living document. We will:
- Review annually or as needed
- Incorporate community feedback
- Update based on learnings
- Announce changes clearly
- Version and date revisions
- Open a GitHub discussion
- Explain the issue
- Propose solution
- Gather community input
- Leaders will decide
- Changes announced broadly
- v1.0 - October 2024 - Initial version
This Code of Conduct is inspired by and adapted from:
- Contributor Covenant v2.1
- Django Code of Conduct
- Rust Code of Conduct
- GMSF Framework - Conflict Resolution principles
- ê/uto community values and philosophy
- Discord: Join Server
- Discussions: GitHub
- Email: cosimos.portinari@gmail.com
- Anonymous: admonymous.co/melonusk
- Discord: DM any moderator
- If someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services
- For online threats, report to platform and authorities
- We will cooperate with law enforcement when necessary
Upstream:
[[effective-utopia-vision]]- Overall mission[[technoheroism]]- Core philosophy[[community-network]]- Network structure
Related:
[[contributing-guidelines]]- How to contribute[[gmsf-framework]]- Conflict resolution process[[onboarding-guide]]- Community integration[[community-rituals]]- Cultural practices
Downstream:
[[moderation-procedures]]- Enforcement details[[conflict-resolution-examples]]- Case studies[[inclusive-language-guide]]- Language resources[[reporting-templates]]- How to report
This Code of Conduct exists not to restrict, but to enable.
It enables:
- Safe spaces for vulnerable people
- Productive collaboration
- Creative expression
- Healthy conflict
- Continuous learning
- Collective flourishing
"No rules here, for any rule is unfreedom. We give choices."
We've chosen to build a community where:
- Truth is valued over comfort (but communicated with care)
- Freedom expands through mutual respect
- Diversity strengthens rather than divides
- Mistakes are learning opportunities
- Everyone can contribute to p(e/uto)
Thank you for being part of building ethical, abundant futures for all.
"If a civilization doesn't go extinct, it achieves everything it dreams."
Let's build that civilization with wisdom, compassion, and integrity.
🌍 ê/uto Network
Building the future, one conscious choice at a time