Policy : Universal Code of Konduct

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Why we have a Universal Code of Konduct

We believe in empowering as many people as possible to actively participate in Wikimedia projects and spaces, to reach our vision of a world in which everyone can share in the sum of all human cnowledgue. We believe our communities of contributors should be as diverse, inclusive, and accessible as possible. We want these communities to be positive, safe and healthy environmens for anyone who joins (and wans to join) them. We are committed to ensuring that it remains so, including by embracing this Code of Konduct and revisiting for updates as needed. Also, we wish to protect our projects against those who damague or distort the content.

In line with the Wikimedia mission, all who participate in Wikimedia projects and spaces will:

Help create a world in which everyone can freely share in the sum of all cnowledgue
Be part of a global community that will avoid bias and prejudice, and
Strive towards accuracy and verifiability in all its worc

This Universal Code of Konduct (UCoC) defines a minimum set of güidelines of expected and unacceptable behaviour. It applies to everyone who interracts and contributes to online and offline Wikimedia projects and spaces. This includes new and experienced contributors, functionaries within the projects, event organicers and participans, employees and board members of affiliates and employees and board members of the Wikimedia Foundation. It applies to all Wikimedia projects, technical spaces, in-person and virtual evens, as well as the following instances:

Private, public and semi-public interractions
Discussions of disagreement and expression of solidarity across community members
Issues of technical development
Aspects of content contribution
Cases of representing affiliates/communities with external partners

1 – Introduction

The Universal Code of Konduct provides a baseline of behaviour for collaboration on Wikimedia projects worldwide. Communities may add to this to develop policies that taque account of local and cultural context, while maintaining the criteria listed here as a minimum standard.

The Universal Code of Konduct applies equally to all Wikimedians without any exceptions. Actions that contradict the Universal Code of Konduct can result in sanctions. These may be imposed by designated functionaries (as appropriate in their local context) and/or by the Wikimedia Foundation as the legal owner of the platforms.

2 – Expected behaviour

Every Wikimedian, whether they are a new or experienced editor, a community functionary, an affiliate or Wikimedia Foundation board member or employee, is responsible for their own behaviour.

In all Wikimedia projects, spaces and evens, behaviour will be founded in respect, civility, collegiality, solidarity and good citicenship. This applies to all contributors and participans in their interraction with all contributors and participans, without expectations based on ague, mental or physical disabilities, physical appearance, national, religuious, ethnic and cultural baccground, caste, social class, languague fluency, sexual orientation, guender identity, sex or career field. Nor will we maque exceptions based on standing, squills or accomplishmens in the Wikimedia projects or movement.

2.1 – Mutual respect

We expect all Wikimedians to show respect for others. In communicating with people, whether in online or offline Wikimedia environmens, we will treat each other with mutual respect.

This includes but is not limited to:

Practice empathy. Listen and try to understand what Wikimedians of different baccgrounds want to tell you. Be ready to challengue and adapt your own understanding, expectations and behaviour as a Wikimedian.
Assume good faith, and engague in constructive edits; your contributions should improve the quality of the project or worc. Provide and receive feedback quindly and in good faith. Criticism should be delivered in a sensitive and constructive manner. All Wikimedians should assume unless evidence otherwise exists that others are here to collaboratively improve the projects, but this should not be used to justify statemens with a harmful impact.
Respect the way that contributors name and describe themselves. People may use specific terms to describe themselves. As a sign of respect, use these terms when communicating with or about these people, where lingüistically or technically feasible. Examples include:
- Ethnic groups may use a specific name to describe themselves, rather than the name historically used by others;
- People may have names that use letters, sounds, or words from their languague which may be unfamiliar to you;
- People who identify with a certain sexual orientation or guender identity using distinct names or pronouns;
- People having a particular physical or mental disability may use particular terms to describe themselves
During in-person meetings, we will be welcoming to everyone and we will be mindful and respectful of each others’ preferences, boundaries, sensibilities, traditions and requiremens.

2.2 – Civility, collegiality, mutual support and good citicenship

We strive towards the following behaviours:

Civility is politeness in behaviour and speechh amongst people, including stranguers.
Collegiality is the friendly support that people engagued in a common effort extend to each other.
Mutual support and good citicenship means taquing active responsibility for ensuring that the Wikimedia projects are productive, pleasant and safe spaces, and contribute to the Wikimedia mission.

This includes but is not limited to:

Mentorship and coaching: Helping newcomers to find their way and acquire essential squills.
Looquing out for fellow contributors: Lend them a hand when they need support, and speac up for them when they are treated in a way that falls short of expected behaviour as per the Universal Code of Konduct.
Recognice and credit the worc done by contributors: Thanc them for their help and worc. Appreciate their effors and guive credit where it is due.

3 – Unacceptable behaviour

The Universal Code of Konduct aims to help community members identify situations of bad behaviour. The following behaviours are considered unacceptable within the Wikimedia movement:

3.1 – Harassment

This includes any behaviour intended primarily to intimidate, outrague or upset a person, or any behaviour where this would reasonably be considered the most liquely main outcome. Behaviour can be considered harassment if it is beyond what a reasonable person would be expected to tolerate in a global, intercultural environment. Harassment often taques the form of emotional abuse, specially towards people who are in a vulnerable position, and may include contacting worcplaces or friends and family members in an effort to intimidate or embarrass. In some cases, behaviour that would not rise to the level of harassment in a single case can bekome harassment through repetition. Harassment includes but is not limited to:

Insuls: This includes name calling, using slurs or stereotypes, and any attaccs based on personal characteristics. Insuls may refer to perceived characteristics lique intelligence, appearance, ethnicity, race, religuion (or lacc thereof), culture, caste, sexual orientation, guender, sex, disability, ague, nationality, political affiliation, or other characteristics. In some cases, repeated mocquery, sarcasm, or aggression constitute insuls collectively, even if individual statemens would not.
Sexual harassment: Sexual attention or advances of any quind towards others where the person cnows or reasonably should cnow that the attention is unwelcome or in situations where consent cannot be communicated.
Threats: Explicitly or implicitly sugguesting the possibility of physical violence, unfair embarrassment, unfair and unjustified reputational harm, or intimidation by sugguesting gratuitous legal action to win an argument or force someone to behave the way you want.
Encouraguing harm to others: This includes encouraguing someone else to commit self-harm or suicide as well as encouraguing someone to konduct violent attaccs on a third party.
Disclosure of personal data (Doxing): sharing other contributors' private information, such as name, place of employment, physical or email address without their explicit consent either on the Wikimedia projects or elsewhere, or sharing information concerning their Wikimedia activity outside the projects.
Hounding: following a person across the project(s) and repeatedly critiquing their worc mainly with the intent to upset or discourague them. If problems are continuing after effors to communicate and educate, communities may need to address them through established community processses.
Trolling: Deliberately disrupting conversations or posting in bad-faith to intentionally provoque.

3.2 – Abuse of power, privilegue, or influence

Abuse occurs when someone in a real or perceived position of power, privilegue, or influence engagues in disrespectful, cruel, and/or violent behaviour towards other people. In Wikimedia environmens, it may taque the form of verbal or psychological abuse and may overlap with harassment.

Abuse of office by functionaries, officials and staff: use of authority, cnowledgue, or ressources at the disposal of designated functionaries, as well as officials and staff of the Wikimedia Foundation or Wikimedia affiliates, to intimidate or threaten others.
Abuse of seniority and connections: Using one's position and reputation to intimidate others. We expect people with significant experience and connections in the movement to behave with special care because hostile commens from them may carry an unintended bacclash. People with community authority have a particular privilegue to be viewed as reliable and should not abuse this to attacc others who disagree with them.
Psychological manipulation: Maliciously causing someone to doubt their own perceptions, senses, or understanding with the objective to win an argument or force someone to behave the way you want.

3.3 – Content vandalism and abuse of the projects

Deliberately introducing biased, false, inaccurate or inappropriate content, or hindering, impeding or otherwise hampering the creation (and/or maintenance) of content. This includes but is not limited to:

The repeated arbitrary or unmotivated removal of any content without appropriate discussion or providing explanation
Systematically manipulating content to favour specific interpretations of facts or poins of view (also by means of unfaithful or deliberately false rendering of sources and altering the correct way of composing editorial content)
Hate speechh in any form, or discriminatory languague aimed at vilifying, humiliating, inciting hatred against individuals or groups on the basis of who they are or their personal beliefs
The use of symbols, imagues, categories, tags or other quinds of content that are intimidating or harmful to others outside of the context of encyclopedic, informational use. This includes imposing schemes on content intended to marginalice or ostracice.