As an open source project registered as a non-profit foundation in Canada, we use Matrix, Telegram, Discord, IRC, Discuss forum, Reddit and Twitter for our community discussions related to GrapheneOS. It’s crucial to address how we handle instances of users who may derail discussions, engage in trolling, or go on rants about hypothetical conspiracies. When such messages are redacted by moderators, it sometimes leads to accusations of censorship. However, this is not a case of censorship but rather a necessary step to uphold the integrity of our community and adhere to our code of conduct.

Code of Conduct

GrapheneOS community members are committed to preserving and fostering a diverse, welcoming society. Below is our community code of conduct, which applies to our forums, chat rooms, issue trackers, and any other GrapheneOS-supported communication group, as well as any private communication initiated in the context of these spaces. Simply put, community discussions should be the following:

  • Respectful and kind
  • About GrapheneOS
  • About features and code, not the individuals involved

Be respectful and constructive

Treat everyone with respect. Build on each other’s ideas. Each of us has the right to enjoy our experience and participate without fear of harassment, discrimination, or condescension, whether blatant or subtle. Remember that GrapheneOS project is a geographically distributed community and that you may not be communicating with someone in their primary language. We all get frustrated when working on hard problems, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into personal attacks.

Harassment is not tolerated, including, but not limited to the following

  • Harassing comments
  • Intimidation
  • Encouraging a person to engage in self-harm
  • Sustained disruption or derailing of threads, channels, lists, and similar forums
  • Offensive or violent comments, jokes, or otherwise
  • Inappropriate sexual content
  • Unwelcome sexual or otherwise aggressive attention
  • Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease
  • Distribution or threat of distribution of people’s personally identifying information, also known as “doxxing.”

Participants warned to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Failure to do so will result in an escalation of consequences.

Acknowledgments

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Chromium Code of Conduct, based on the Geek Feminism Code of Conduct, the Django Code of Conduct, and the Geek Feminism Wiki “Effective codes of conduct” guide.

Source: GrapheneOS Code of Conduct

Community Chat Rules

0. Be Civil

  • Spamming, trolling, or participating in flame wars is prohibited.
  • Do not impersonate developers, moderators, contributors, or community members.
  • Refrain from spreading misinformation, especially after receiving clarification or correction.
  • Deliberate dissemination of disinformation is strictly forbidden.

1. Read the FAQ and Prerequisites before posting

2. Avoid Bikeshedding

Bikeshedding refers to the act of focusing on trivialities, consuming mental bandwidth and diverting resources from more significant issues. This includes topics such as:

(A) Apps, service providers or protocols

  • Apps, service providers, or protocols not included with GrapheneOS. Services like mail, messaging, and cloud storage are beyond GrapheneOS’s control and offtopic. Please use the #apps:grapheneos.org chat room.

(B) Unrelated operating systems

  • Operating systems unrelated and outside of the context of building or installing GrapheneOS. Officially supported operating systems are listed at GrapheneOS Install Prerequisites.

(C) Politics

  • Political discussions, particularly comparing privacy laws in different jurisdictions, are outside of GrapheneOS’s influence.

(D) Hypotheticals and conspiracy theories

  • Hypothetical worst-case scenarios, such as backdoors, nation-state adversaries, intelligence agencies, or their capabilities, which lead to unproductive discussions pitting GrapheneOS against limitless imagination.

(E) Software licenses

  • Debates about software licenses. The licenses for GrapheneOS are carefully chosen to align with the project’s future goals.

Summary

Past experiences show these topics often lead to unresolvable disputes. We aim to make the GrapheneOS community a safe environment for everyone; thus, these topics are currently not allowed. For any uncertainties about the rules, please refer to the moderators’ interpretation and requests. Avoid taking on the role of a moderator yourself.

Topics under Rule 2 can be discussed in our off-topic room to a limited extent, provided the discussions remain civil and non-inflammatory. Rule 0 still applies, and adherence to Rule 1 is strongly encouraged.

Understanding Censorship vs. Free Speech vs. Moderation

Censorship

This involves suppressing information or opinions. In the context of a government or authoritative body, it’s seen as a way to control the narrative or keep certain views from being expressed. However, in our community space, actions taken to remove content are not about suppressing dissenting opinions but about maintaining a focused and respectful discussion environment.

Free Speech

While free speech is a right, it’s also subject to certain limitations, especially in private spaces like our community chat rooms. Our platform is a space for specific discussions about GrapheneOS, and while differing opinions are welcome, they must be relevant and respectful.

Moderation

This is essential for a healthy online community. As outlined in our Code of Conduct, we are committed to maintaining a diverse, welcoming community. Our discussions should be respectful, kind, and about GrapheneOS and its features and code, not the individuals involved. Our Community Chat Rules also emphasize the importance of not engaging in harassment, spamming, trolling, or flame wars.

Our Moderation Approach

Harassment and Disruption Not Tolerated

We do not tolerate harassing comments, intimidation, or any form of sustained disruption. This includes what’s known as “bikeshedding,” which involves fussing over trivialities that divert from more important discussions.

Respect and Constructiveness

Everyone in our community is expected to treat each other with respect and build on each other’s ideas. We recognize that frustration can arise when working on complex issues, but this should never devolve into personal attacks.

No Misinformation

Spreading misinformation goes against our principle of maintaining an informed and factual discussion space, as per our Community Chat.

Rights and Responsibilities

As a member of our community, you have the right to express your opinions and ideas, as long as they align with our code of conduct and contribute constructively to the discussions. Our moderators are responsible for ensuring that these guidelines are followed for the benefit of the entire community. When actions are taken against certain posts or behaviors, it is done with the intention of keeping the community healthy and focused, not to suppress individual voices.

Conclusion

In our community, censorship, moderation and free speech are distinctly different concepts:

Censorship would mean suppressing opinions or information simply because they are unpopular or contrary to a certain viewpoint. In our community, actions that may be perceived as censorship are actually moderation efforts aligned with our established guidelines. We don’t aim to suppress free speech but rather to maintain a space where constructive, relevant discussions about GrapheneOS can occur without disruption.

Moderation is about guiding and maintaining the health of our discussions. It involves ensuring that conversations stay on topic, respectful, and constructive. Our moderation is based on clearly defined rules and a code of conduct, which all members agree to when joining our community. This includes preventing harassment, misinformation, and off-topic discussions. It’s a way to foster a positive, focused environment for discussing GrapheneOS.

We respect free speech, our primary responsibility is to ensure that our community remains a productive and respectful space for discussing GrapheneOS. The actions taken by our moderators are not about censorship but about upholding the standards we have set for our community. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in maintaining the quality and integrity of our discussions.