[[!meta title="Code of conduct"]]

Like the technical community as a whole, the Tails team and community
is made up of a mixture of people from all over the world, working on
every aspect of the mission &mdash; including mentorship, teaching, and
connecting people.

Diversity is one of our huge strengths, but it can also lead to
communication issues and unhappiness. To that end, we have a few
ground rules that we ask people to adhere to when they're
participating within this community and project. These rules apply
equally to founders, mentors and those seeking help and guidance.

This isn't an exhaustive list of things that you can't do. Rather,
take it in the spirit in which it's intended &mdash; a guide to make it
easier to enrich all of us and the technical communities in which
we participate.

This policy applies to all spaces used by the Tails project. This
includes XMPP, the mailing lists, the issue tracker, the website,
events, and any other forums which the community uses for
communication.

If you believe someone is violating this policy, we ask that you
report it by emailing <tails@boum.org>

* **Be welcoming, friendly, and patient.**
* **Be considerate.** Your work will be used by other people, and you
  in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take
  will affect users and other contributors, and you should take those
  consequences into account when making decisions. Remember that we're
  a world-wide community, so you might not be communicating in someone
  else's primary language.
* **Be respectful.** Not all of us will agree all the time, but
  disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners.
  We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot
  allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's
  important to remember that a community where people feel
  uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Members of the
  Tails community should be respectful when dealing with other members
  as well as with people outside the Tails community.
* **Be careful in the words that you choose.** Be kind to others.
  Do not insult or put down other participants. Harassment and other
  exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. This includes, but is not
  limited to:
  - Violent threats or language directed against another person.
  - Sexist, racist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
  - Exhibiting sexually explicit or violent speak or material.
  - Publishing (or threatening to publish) other people's personally
    identifying information ("doxing").
  - Recording, photographing or filming other persons without their
    consent. Seek consent before recording. Also ask people who may be
    seen or heard in the background. Similarly, don't publish private
    communication without asking first, except if the communication
    was unwanted (harrassment, threats etc). In doubt, you can ask us
    before publishing something.
  - Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
  - Unwelcome sexual attention.
  - Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
  - Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to
    stop, then stop.
* **When we disagree, try to understand why.** Disagreements, both
  social and technical, happen all the time and Tails is no exception.
  It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views
  constructively. Remember that we're different. The strength of Tails
  comes from its varied community, people from a wide range of
  backgrounds. Different people have different perspectives on issues.
  Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn't
  mean that they're wrong. Don't forget that it is human to err and
  blaming each other doesn't get us anywhere. Instead, please consider
  offering your help in order to resolve issues and to help learn
  from mistakes.

Adapted from the [Django Code of
Conduct](https://www.djangoproject.com/conduct/), that itself
attributes it to the [Speak Up! project](http://speakup.io/coc.html).
