[DAO:e55ae8f] Code of Ethics

[web3nit]

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 (┃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 .

• 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/

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Abstain from voting on their own election candidacy.

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