Community Guidelines

We’re glad you’re here.

We want everyone to feel welcome on the Data Collaboration Alliance, and we have created these Guidelines to define the values of the community we want to build. On the Data Collaboration Alliance, you’re connected not by a website, but a shared goal of increased rights for data owners. Let’s collaborate to get it done. #AccessNotCopies

1. Be helpful in conversations

Share this space in a constructive way. Be kind, not judgmental, in your conversations.

Follow these guidelines for disagreeing respectfully:

Be mindful of how you participate. Ask yourself before you engage if your words will effect change, understanding, and empathy in your community.

Respectfully challenge the idea, not the person. Focus on the facts or ideas you want to communicate, without attacking the person.

Don’t make assumptions. When you’re unsure about something someone has said, ask for clarification and be willing to listen to the response.

Avoid generalising or over-simplifying. Being too general may overshadow the heart of the matter and appear as insensitive.

Acknowledge common ground. Even if you don’t wholeheartedly agree with someone, if you can appreciate something they’ve said or done, let them know.

Encourage understanding. If you are part of a discussion on the Data Collaboration Alliance that has become harmful or offensive, do your part to encourage empathy and understanding.

Cite Sources. If you are sharing data, please include your source for clarity and to help support the discussion with facts.

2. Be respectful to members

You’re speaking to your real people. Strong communities are built on strong relationships.

Allowed?

Attacking, berating, bullying, belittling, insulting, harassing, threatening, trolling, or swearing at others or their views even if you really disagree with them. This includes communication within a group or via private message.

Posting about your concerns with community moderation in the main newsfeed. For example, about why your content was reported, or removed.

Stating your view, opinion, or disagreeing with someone in a civil and respectful manner.

Using private messages to resolve personal disputes.

Publicly resolving personal disputes and grievances in the main newsfeed.

Continuing to contact a member after they've requested that you stop.

The Data Collaboration Alliance is not a platform for publicly shaming anyone. If you see a member doing something that concerns you, ask yourself, "Do I know who this person is, and could I contact them privately to resolve the issue?" If the answer is yes, then you should contact them directly and not post about it on the Data Collaboration Alliance.

Profanity and hate speech are never acceptable on the Data Collaboration Alliance.

3. Do not discriminate

We do not tolerate racism, hateful language, or discrimination of any kind.

No racism, discrimination, or hate speech

ALL people should feel welcome on the Data Collaboration Alliance. Racism and discrimination create an environment of exclusion, intimidation, and fear. No one should feel this way in any community.

We have a strict policy against racism, discrimination, and hate speech of any kind. Before posting something that could be interpreted as racist or discriminatory, ask yourself:

How would you feel if someone directed this statement at your child, parent, or significant other?
Is this a statement or point of view that you would share at work, in your place of worship, or in a city meeting?
Would you state your comment in person to the individual or group of people you are referring to?

Please pause to deeply consider how your words may affect this person.

If you see a post or comment that you believe is discriminatory or racist in nature, or if you see a post from a member whose behaviour is repeatedly or egregiously discriminatory or racist, please send an email to info@datacollaboration.org.

We are committed to removing any content (posts, comments, profile photos) or behaviour that violate this policy. Furthermore, members repeatedly engaging in this behaviour will be subject to temporary or permanent removal from the Data Collaboration Alliance. This behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

Racism, discrimination, or insult

Discriminate against, threaten, or insult individuals or groups based on race, color, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, religion or faith, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or medical condition.

Use derogatory racial terms or racial code words (e.g., “Thug” or “Oriental”).

Assume that someone is suspicious or engaged in criminal behaviour because of their race or ethnicity.

Use slurs, negative stereotypes, caricatures, or generalizations about a group of individuals.

Use profanity, or other insulting imagery, memes, or language that reduce an individual’s humanity.

Deny an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, or promote support for conversion therapy and related programs.

Use derogatory language to refer to people who have a criminal history (e.g., "scum" or "animals").

Hate speech, violence or threats

Show or elicit support for hate groups or people promoting hateful activities.

Promote hate-based conspiracy theories and misinformation (e.g., Holocaust denial or “Antifa is invading the suburbs”)

Suggest, show, threaten, or glorify the use of violence — even jokingly — against an individual or a group of individuals.

Attempt to condone or trivialize violence against others — even inadvertently (e.g., “Yeah, but that person is a criminal”).

Marginalized groups

Attack individuals, including public figures, based on their membership in a marginalized or protected group.

Mock or attack the beliefs, sacred symbols, movements, or institutions of marginalized or protected groups.

Protected and marginalized groups include: People grouped together based on their actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, religion or faith, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition. It also includes people who are grouped together based on their housing or socio-economic status, age, weight or size, pregnancy or veteran status.

Our commitment to our members

Our Community Guidelines were established to ensure all people feel welcome in the Data Collaboration Alliance. We leverage a combination of technology and the human judgment of our members and our administration team to report and remove content, behaviour, and individuals that discriminate or generally make others feel unwelcome.

However, we will not always get this right. Sometimes, this process may fail to remove content that violates our Community Guidelines or it may erroneously remove content that belongs on the Data Collaboration Alliance. If you see either of these situations happening, please report this to us. We are committed to doing what is right and continuously learning, iterating, and improving along the way.

You, our members who make up the Data Collaboration Alliance, play a key role in community moderation by reporting content or members that violate these Guidelines. Please remember that disagreeing with a post is not a reason to report it. This slows down our ability to remove content that is truly abusive and to create a platform where everyone feels welcome.