[DAO:e55ae8f] Code of Ethics

Governance
1

by 0x5b5cc427c1d81db4f94de4d51d85ce122d63e244 (Fehz)

Linked Draft Proposal

Code of Ethics

Summary

This proposal aims to establish a comprehensive Code of Ethics for the Decentraland DAO and its communication channels.

Abstract

As the DAO’s influence grows, it becomes essential to establish a robust Code of Ethics that outlines the principles, standards, and ethical guidelines that all participants must adhere to. This proposal seeks to create a comprehensive document that will encompass various aspects of the DAO’s activities.

Motivation

As the Decentraland DAO continues to experience rapid growth and attract incremental participation from diverse community members and stakeholders, the need for a robust Code of Ethics becomes increasingly evident.

A diverse community brings fresh perspectives and ideas, but it also poses challenges related to potential conflict escalation. Without a well-defined framework and clear guidelines for moderators to apply rules fairly and consistently, there is a risk of subjective decision-making and inconsistency in enforcing standards of conduct.

By establishing a comprehensive Code of Ethics, the DAO aims to create a better and more welcoming space for new joiners and a safer space for the current community members. This framework will promote transparency, fairness, and inclusivity, providing a solid foundation for all community members to participate and contribute with confidence.

Specification

The Decentraland DAO’s Code of Ethics will be founded on core principles, including fairness and inclusivity, privacy and data protection, open decision-making, and conflict resolution. These guiding values form the foundation for cultivating an ecosystem that is inclusive, secure, and accountable.

This document is structured into distinct sections to encompass a comprehensive framework that guides the behavior and interactions of all community members:

I. Preamble: In this introductory section, the Code sets forth the fundamental values and overarching principles that underpin the DAO’s ethical foundation.

II. Core Principles and Guidelines: This section outlines the key principles that form the backbone of the Code of Ethics. These principles serve as guiding lights for all participants, fostering a culture of collaboration, openness, and responsible conduct.

III. Rules of Engagement: The Code further defines specific rules and guidelines for community engagement and communication. It explicitly prohibits excessive attacks, insults, trolling, flaming, bullying, baiting for arguments, and the use of offensive language towards others. This section ensures a safe and respectful environment for all members to express their views and ideas freely.

IV. Enforcement Mechanisms: This section addresses the enforcement mechanisms of the Code of Ethics. It outlines the procedures and consequences for non-compliance with the established ethical standards.

V. Closing: final statement.

CODE OF ETHICS FINAL VERSION

Impacts

The implementation of the code of ethics within the Decentraland DAO is anticipated to have several positive impacts on the community and its overall functioning. On one hand, It will create a more respectful and tolerant environment, fostering a culture of kindness and understanding. On the other hand, It will discourage toxic behavior, personal attacks, and offensive language, to promote healthy discourse and more productive discussions on Decentraland and governance topics.

The establishment of clear guidelines agreed by the community for behavior and content will also mitigate the risk of harmful or malicious activities, such as hate speech, scams, and impersonation, thereby safeguarding the community from potential harm. Moreover, public tracking of strikes and sanctions by designated Moderators will enhance transparency and accountability in enforcing these guidelines.

This code will act as a backbone and a framework for Moderator(s) and DAO Teams to foster a safe, welcoming and respectful environment

Implementation Pathways

If the proposal garners the necessary support and passes, the Code of Ethics will be activated and enforced starting from 00:00 hours of the following day of its approval. To maintain transparency and accountability, the designated Moderator(s) responsible for this role will maintain a publicly accessible record that tracks strikes and sanctions issued in accordance with the Code of Ethics.

The process of re-affirming or amending the Code of Ethics entails the submission of a Binding Governance Proposal, requiring the approval of the proposal with 75% or more of the voting power in favor.

Conclusion

Recognizing the importance of actively involving all community members in the rule-making process and to ensure a truly inclusive and representative framework, rules and guidelines, the adoption of a well-structured Code of Ethics will strengthen community trust, enhance the overall experience for participants, and ensure the Decentraland DAO remains as a sustainable ecosystem for all its stakeholders.

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

1 Like
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Just in case you don’t find the link to the draft document:

━━━━━> CODE OF ETHICS FINAL VERSION <━━━━━

3

Hi Folks. Thank you for this initiative. I voted “No” and here are my concerns and suggestions:

  • We are Decentraland and decentralization is one of guiding principles, so I think we should make a simple process allowing Community members to propose a review of a moderator’s decision via a DAO vote. Appeal mechanism is required for a moderator’s decision. For example like in current DAO Discord rules:

“A user who is banned from the server may appeal the ban through a governance poll, explaining why they should be allowed back in the server.”

  • This Code of Ethics will have a wide-ranging scope of application, encompassing not only the official Decentraland DAO Discord server but also all other instances that are linked to the Decentraland DAO such as the Forums, in-world in Decentraland, and the Governance Platform.

I think we should include clearly all places, for example Twitter is missing. I wonder if Community member will receive a ban, he won’t be able to post a proposal on Gov Platform or visit in-world in Decentraland.

  • II. Core Principles and Guidelines: 4. Conflicts of Interest

Participants in the DAO, Committee and Squad members should disclose any potential conflicts of interest and use their best judgment to abstain from decisions that could benefit them personally. For transparency, over-communicate and disclose potential conflicts of interest even when they do not warrant abstaining from a vote. If in doubt, it is always better to over disclose information, rather than to conceal, even if unintentional.

A defined process for disclosing conflicts of interest is missing. We might consider establishing a designated area for these disclosures, perhaps within a specific category or topic in the Decentraland Forum’s governance section.

  • III. Rules of Engagement: 9. Report Irregularities to Moderators

Any direct violation of this code must be reported in the moderation channel (:no_entry_sign:┃discord-moderation) with a tag to a moderator or by sending a DM to the moderator with the respective proof, either a screenshot or a link to the harmful message.

Instead of a Discord channel/DM, I think we can consider using a Google form to report Code of Ethics violations. This method ensures a structured approach and can protects the reporter’s identity, allowing anonymity unless they choose to disclose their identity.

  • III. Rules of Engagement: 4. No FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)

Promote transparency and accuracy by avoiding the spread of fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Ensure that information shared within the community is reliable and verified. Please don’t spread FUD or misinformation that could harm the community’s trust and confidence.

I suggest removing “FUD” due to its subjective and arbitrary nature.

  • III. Rules of Engagement: 5. No Advertising, Promotion, or Spam

Keep posts related to Decentraland and Decentraland Governance. Do not share unrelated links, advertisements, or spam without prior allowance from admins. Posting unauthorized links will result in deletion and may lead to a kick/ban if the behavior persists.

We have a couple of unrelated channels(not dao related/memes), it would be great to mention that there can be a space for links in these channels to not receive a kick :smile:.

  • IV. Enforcement Mechanisms: THREE STRIKE APPROACH

I think it’s important for it to be public and transparent and for the Community to know where records of strikes will be kept in advance. For example, a dedicated Decentraland Forum Category/topic can be created for this.

Overall this three strikes approach should be more thoroughly written IMO. Cooldowns are confusing. For example, the Cooldown for profanity strike - 6 months is too much.

I believe the initial cooldown should not exceed one month, and the first ban should be limited to six months. A one-year ban is excessive, except in cases of severe violations like scamming. Perhaps we can stipulate that if someone publicly admits to inappropriate behavior in a relevant forum topic or Discord channel, the ban duration could be reduced by half.

  • I think we need to add Section “Delegates Accountability”:

Delegates should:

  1. Refrain from voting for financial benefits.

  2. Abstain from voting on their own Grants and POIs.

  3. Maintain a comprehensive understanding of how Decentraland and DAO works. There is also recommendation to be proficient in blockchain and crypto space, at least Ethereum basics.

https://docs.decentraland.org/player/general/dao/overview/what-is-the-dao/

  1. Refrain from endorsing changes that infringe upon the Community’s rights, specifically concerning their virtual assets like LANDs, ESTATEs, and NAMEs.

  2. Approach each DAO proposal with an unbiased and professional mindset, abstaining from voting if they haven’t reviewed it.

  3. Continuously engage with the governance portal and forum, offering feedback when necessary.

  4. Strive to enhance Decentraland and DAO as a whole, whether through technical, governance, or other improvements.

  5. Actively participate in governance proposals, explaining their reasoning behind votes.

  6. Support and represent Decentraland’s values, being positive example.

  7. Abstain from voting on their own election candidacy.

  • And I also believe that the term ‘Community’ should always start with a capital letter. :sunglasses:

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1 Like
4

That is pretty steep.

I generally like the idea of requiring a higher threshold to amend and or remove what should be a fundamental document to the workings of the DAO, but 75% is very high.

Has there ever been a proposal before this one that had a similar provision? It feels like it could be setting an interesting precedent.

5

Thanks for your feedback.

First of all, I want to point out that the Draft document has been open to everyone to comment and for discussion since it was submitted on August 4th. Lot of community members engaged and added their comments in Discord and the Forum. The draft has been also announced in the Squad channels, during Town Halls and in the #code-of-ethics discord channel. So I’m really surprised that all this came out today.

Second, most of the stuff that you’re pointing out is not opposed and doesn’t go against the spirit of what is already stated in the document. Most things could be added later to the body of the COE or as an ANNEX. So I truly can’t see why voting ‘No’ instead of pushing this proposal.

Regarding the different things that you’ve mentioned:

  1. We are Decentraland and decentralization is one of guiding principles, so I think we should make a simple process allowing Community members to propose a review of a moderator’s decision via a DAO vote. Appeal mechanism is required for a moderator’s decision.

Not 100% against this, but we’ve already tried and the only output it’s creating more discussions and problems over the problem. The only output of this has been -as we already saw- delegitimizing the Moderator or DAO Teams decisions. Could be added as an ANNEX.

  1. I think we should include clearly all places, for example Twitter is missing. I wonder if Community member will receive a ban, he won’t be able to post a proposal on Gov Platform or visit in-world in Decentraland.

The text is clear on this, it applies on everything related to the DAO in the following spaces: Forums, Discord, In-World, Governance Platform. We’ve also made it clear that we’re not monitoring social media.

  1. A defined process for disclosing conflicts of interest is missing. We might consider establishing a designated area for these disclosures, perhaps within a specific category or topic in the Decentraland Forum’s governance section.

Don’t think a process is needed for this, but again, this doesn’t impede anyone to creating that process through the governance stages or adding this to the current COE as an ANNEX.

  1. Instead of a Discord channel/DM, I think we can consider using a Google form to report Code of Ethics violations. This method ensures a structured approach and can protects the reporter’s identity, allowing anonymity unless they choose to disclose their identity.

Don’t agree with this, but if the community agrees, it’s something that could be easily added later on.

  1. I suggest removing “FUD” due to its subjective and arbitrary nature.

It’s something standardized in every web3/crypto community, can’t see how this could harm.

  1. We have a couple of unrelated channels(not dao related/memes), it would be great to mention that there can be a space for links in these channels to not receive a kick.

This is 100% explicit with a link that explains the functioning of each Discord channel.

  1. I think it’s important for it to be public and transparent and for the Community to know where records of strikes will be kept in advance. For example, a dedicated Decentraland Forum Category/topic can be created for this.

Agree that they should be transparent and that is also explicit in the implementation pathway. Open to suggestions, no need for modify the whole COE to choose a channel for sharing the records. We are currently working on a google docs spreadsheet.

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  1. Overall this three strikes approach should be more thoroughly written IMO. Cooldowns are confusing. For example, the Cooldown for profanity strike - 6 months is too much.

Agree to disagree on this one. Can’t see how this is confusing. After gathering community feedback during this 3 weeks, I believe we’ve found a good balance between fairness and dissuasion.

  1. I think we need to add Section “Delegates Accountability”

This could also be added as an ANNEX, no need to redo everything.

With that said, I find this article really strange: “Refrain from endorsing changes that infringe upon the Community’s rights, specifically concerning their virtual assets like LANDs, ESTATEs, and NAMEs.”

2 Likes
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Hey!

Thanks for calling this out, it’s a valid point.

The fact is that +90% of Binding Governance Proposals pass with +90% of voting power in favor, so I can’t see this becoming a blocker. If the amendments/addings/modificatios have passed through the Pre-Proposal Poll and Draft Proposal Stages with the corresponding community feedback, they shouldn’t have a problem to pass.

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Hey Fehz. Thanks for your prompt response. After your feedback, I’ve decided to change my vote. I apologize for the delay in commenting, I needed some time to think all thoroughly.

With that said, I find this article really strange: “Refrain from endorsing changes that infringe upon the Community’s rights, specifically concerning their virtual assets like LANDs, ESTATEs, and NAMEs."

As to this, I saw something similar in ENS Constitution and I liked the idea.

I. Name ownership shall not be infringed

ENS governance will not enact any change that infringes on the rights of ENS users to retain names they own, or unfairly discriminate against name owners’ ability to extend, transfer, or otherwise use their names.

1 Like
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Ethics are great when people abide by them. Unfortunately we are in a space where anonymous people are from all around the world. Is this just more good sounding stuff that really has no foundation? Or will the code of ethics be used against people in the future who may not have even violated it. I can see this system quickly heading to the way of Fascism, just like @pablo recent proposal requiring people to take and pass a course before being able to vote with funds and NFTs they already own. (yikes)

@fehz I agree with @jar0d that 75% seems too high, especially if the DAO is still showing “Abstains” as essentially “NO” votes taking away from the success of the proposal. (even when it may only be out of conflict of interest with the latest 500k delegated voters running around that cant or wont vote on any project they may have involvement in. It seems like DCL keeps shooting itself in the foot, but with the best intentions of arming itself in self defense… Real education, avoiding double-speak and enabling creators and builders to build on the platform should be the goal… which we are not currently accomplishing. Lets use energy in the DAO to build shit, not shut people up or gatekeep our platform into nothingness.

1 Like
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will vote yes, but needs more bans. :hammer:

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I am all for having a code of ethics and I agree with much of what is published here but I am also finding too many overly authoritarian policing of people’s language and behavior. I also voiced before my objection with a strike system, especially one that will require tracking from moderators, adding to their work and putting up a “gold star” board of sorts where everyone can see who has bad marks and who doesn’t. We are adults, and have made incredible strides in the past 12 months in regards to rules of engagement, but I am afraid this is an overreach.

1 Like
11

Is “Code of Ethics” a fancy way of submitting another proposal to ban people from the community?

3 Likes
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How about we add Freedom of Speech shall not be infringed upon by the DAO, except things that cause physical harm, actual threats, extreme hate crimes… A lot of what the United States ruled about Freedom of Speech is a good model. All these code of conducts have no restrictions for the committees or squads or anything of that nature - at this point, they think they are above the code of conduct…

1 Like
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Thank you for creating this. :heart_eyes:

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No, in its most simply form, its a way to codify rules in the server and other forums so there is something that was developed by and with community input.

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Code of Ethics

This proposal is now in status: PASSED.

Voting Results:

  • Yes 79% 6,873,332 VP (84 votes)
  • No 5% 507,475 VP (6 votes)
  • Abstain 16% 1,461,904 VP (20 votes)
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Code of Ethics

This proposal has been ENACTED by a DAO Committee Member (0xbef99f5f55cf7cdb3a70998c57061b7e1386a9b0)