Last updated 17/5/24, following the publication of Rescoping #2.
The Code of Conduct is now enforced via various mechanisms across the Collective:
The Rules of Engagement apply to anyone using the Forum (Discourse), Discord, and Reddit. Severe Violations (such as discrimination, harassment, doxxing, etc.) result in an immediate one month suspension.
To report a Rules of Engagement violation by any user you may flag the violation using tools provided by the platform on which it has occurred and/or using this form. This will be reviewed and addressed by the Code of Conduct Council, although a third party mediation can be requested for restorative actions.
For more information, review the Code of Conduct Council (CoCC) Internal Operating Procedures S6
All Optimist behavior should be aligned with Optimist Expectations, enforced via the free market for delegation. These, or similar expectations, may be considered in future Citizenship criteria.
You can see how to delegate, and redelegate, your tokens here.
Citizen expectations will be socially enforced and incorporated into incentive and voting design. As these mechanisms are developed over time, the Foundation may still play a temporary role in enforcement mechanisms (such as badge removal). The ability of the Foundation to implement any enforcement actions will be specified at the start of each round given the unique considerations of distinct round designs.
Collective Representatives may be removed from their positions, as outlined in the Operating Manual, for violating their charter or failing to to act with honesty, integrity, and transparency.
Follow the process outlined in the Operating Manual and post a Representative Removal Proposal to the forum using the Standard Proposal Template. All Removal Proposals will required 4 approvals from the top 100 delegates to move to a vote.
All Token House grant recipients must abide by the Collective Grant Policies, outlined here. Grant Policies go into effect at the time they are included and do not apply retroactively.
To report a violation of the grant policies, use this reporting form.
Optimists should actively discourage others from breaking community standards. Optimists should report serious or repeat offenses, as outlined in the relevant documentation. Violations that are reported using any other process will not be addressed,
Change Process
The Code of Conduct, the Rules of Engagement, and any other associated documents, must only be updated during Reflection Periods or following extraordinary circumstances that require immediate updates. In all cases, a change log will be published for delegates.
Updated on 9/29/23 during the Reflection Period proceeding Season 5:
Violation 2: updated to clarify that whistleblowing is not a violation
Violation 5: expanded to account for new governance structures and to clarify Violation 5 is a severe violation
Violation 8: added “or request an extension approved by the Grants Council.”
Violation 9: added “Builders grants may be self-delegated during and/or after the one-year lock-up period. Delegations may be made or changed at the time a grant is received or at the start of a Season.”
Minor clarifications were made under Violation 10 (10a, 10c, and 10d) and 10f was added
References to the Protocol Delegation Program, which has concluded, have been removed
Violation 11 was added
A reporting process for Citizens’ House violations was added
Updates were made to reflect the Code of Conduct Council(s) will replace the Foundation in processing violation reports
Updates were made to enforcement actions to include the role of the NERDs and the Code of Conduct Councils
In accordance with the outlined change process, the Code of Conduct was updated on 12/13/23 during the Reflection Period proceeding Season 5:
All “should” statements have been moved into Optimist Expectations. These expectations should be reflected in delegation (or via undelegating for failure to uphold them) and may be considered in future Citizenship criteria. These expectations are important guidelines but they are not well-suited to enforcement via the Code of Conduct given inherent subjectivity.
Severe Violations were moved into the Rules of Engagement; you can reference the full change log to the Rules of Engagement here. This has been done to eliminate ambiguity about which process severe violations should go through. The consequences of committing a severe violation remain the same: suspension from Optimism community spaces.
Information about Collective Council and Advisory Board Member Removal has been added to the “Accountability” section
All other clauses previously outlined in the “Accountability section” are now outlined in the Collective Grant Policies for simplicity. One clause from the “No Self-Dealing” section, previously identified as 10e (pertaining to disclosures), has also been moved to Grant Policies.
The Enforcement section has been modified slightly to reflect the above changes and to more accurately reflect the role of the Token House Code of Conduct Council.
In accordance with the Code of Conduct’s Change Process, outlining an update made on 2/9/24, in conjunction with the passing of Proposal to Reclassify Grant Misusage Enforcement and feedback regarding understandability of Code of Conduct enforcement in the Citizens’ House.
Change log:
Clarified the definition of ‘severe violation’ and corresponding enforcement action
Changed “should” to “must” in Violation 2d
Clarified the Code of Conduct Council is the Token House Code of Conduct Council, where applicable; clarified a Citizens’ House Code of Conduct Council does not currently exist, where applicable
Clarified the definition of a temporary suspension as: “A serious violation of the above standards or repeated warnings.”
Updated the Grant Misusage section to reflect the approved proposal (removal of future grant freeze, inclusion of grant clawback, and specification that the grant misusage reporting form should also be used to report failure to complete critical milestones.)
Clarified that Citizens’ House temporary suspensions do not apply over multiple Rounds