The Data Rescue community welcomes participation from people all over the world and these members bring with them a wide variety of professional, personal and social backgrounds; whatever these may be, we treat colleagues with dignity and respect. 

Below we set forth our community norms. This should be considered a living document that will be updated as needed.

Community Conduct

We as 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, caste, color, religion, or sexual identity and orientation. 

All members of the Data Rescue efforts, as individual contributors and leaders, are expected to agree to this pledge and follow it in all Data Rescue efforts and communications, including but not limited to emails, the Google Workspace, and online forums such as Mattermost.

Internal Communications

As a project team, we are committed to transparent communication among team members. We use the Data Rescue Project Mattermost as our instant messaging platform, which includes channels for different topics and agencies.

Community Norms

• Be professional. Maintain professionalism in your communications.
• Use handles, not names. When engaging with other members of the community in online forums such as within channels in Mattermost, regardless of whether you know an individual personally, unless someone has explicitly and publicly given their name, please refer to others by the handle they have selected in that forum.
• Moderators are here to help. Each channel will be assigned two moderators from the Data Rescue community. The moderators will be responsible for answering questions within the channel, updating the website with information from the group, and upholding the community conduct specified below.
• If unsure, ask. With a growing community of contributors, we expect there to be many questions. Please refrain from making assumptions or responding with an incomplete answer, especially in a public forum.
• This is a selected community. Please encourage others to join our Mattermost community by indicating interest in our Google Form. Unless authorized to do so, due to the sensitive nature of the project, do not invite others into private spaces, such as the Mattermost. 
• Keep information secure. Ask before sharing information or updates publicly. Due to the sensitive nature of the project, some information shared within the channels may need to stay within the group.
• Only project members can edit in Google. We use a shared Google Workspace for tracking our work. The default setting for sharing Google items should be “view only” for non-project members.
• Safety first. Whether that be physical, psychological, or otherwise, it is integral to prioritize your own safety and well-being. Take breaks if you need them. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

External Communications 

When discussing this project with others, and particularly with the press, it is critical to relay that this project is non-partisan and is focused on information integrity and public access to data. It is important to distinguish any other goals or motivations that your organization may have from those of the broader project. 

Take care with the sensitive nature of this project. Only share the names of project participants or their organization if they have agreed to be publicly named. 

All communication will flow through our Data Rescue Project mailing list (subscribe on our website) and Data Rescue Project Bluesky account. 

Contribution Guidelines 

In our shared Google Workspace, we expect all project members to follow both the Data Rescue Community Conduct. When rescuing data, we also expect our colleagues to help ensure data aligns with the FAIR and CARE principles.

To contribute to our efforts or request access to relevant parts of our shared Google Workspace, fill out our Google Form with your email, name (or alias, if you prefer to remain anonymous), skills, and interests.

Community Conduct Enforcement

Instances of abusive or otherwise unacceptable behavior should be reported to channel moderators (on Mattermost) and Data Rescue Project Leaders at datarescueproject@protonmail.com. If you want to send us a secure, encrypted email, you can sign up for a free account at protonmail.com or use our public PGP key: https://keys.openpgp.org/search?q=datarescueproject%40protonmail.com.

Examples of acceptable behavior include, but are not limited to:

• Using inclusive language and demonstrating empathy and kindness
• Being respectful of varying viewpoints and experiences
• Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback and criticism

Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to:

• The use of sexualized or violent imagery and language of any kind
• Trolling, insulting, or derogatory comments, including personal attacks
• Publishing of others’ personal information (such as name [if they’ve chosen to use an alias], phone number, or email address) or publishing of private communication without their explicit consent
• Continuing to engage in behavior or interaction after being asked to stop

The channel moderators and the Data Rescue Project Leaders, based on the nature and the number of occurrences of the incident, will follow the succeeding methods of escalation to determine consequences of the violation:

Warning

Nature and occurrences: First occurrence of inappropriate language or behavior (see examples above).

Outcome: The moderator or designated Data Rescue Project Leader will issue a private written warning. This warning will detail the nature of the incident, why the behavior was unacceptable, as well as steps to remedy the incident. This may include a public apology in a designated form.

Temporary Ban

Nature and occurrences: For serious or subsequent violations, following a previously-established Correction.

Outcome: The moderator or designated Data Rescue Project Leader will issue a private, written warning. The warning will detail the nature of the incident and why the behavior was unacceptable. The individual being warned will be restricted in their ability to update, post, or communicate with others in public forums for a specified period of time. Any violation of these terms may lead to a permanent ban.

Permanent Ban

Nature and occurrences: For serious or patterns of behavior that violates the Community Guidelines. Serious infractions include but are not limited to threats of violence or causing someone to fear for their safety, through actions such as stalking or intimidation.

Outcome: The moderator or designated Data Rescue Project Leader will issue a Permanent Ban to the individual. The individual will be removed from all project communication channels and will be blocked from interacting with project social accounts.

Last updated: 2025-02-11 T22:53:19Z