Overview

Integrity Institute's mission is to advance the theory and practice of protecting the social internet, powered by our community of integrity professionals. As a part of fostering community, we are committed to creating safe and welcoming spaces where all people can feel free to connect, share their expertise, and engage in healthy dialogue while sharing different perspectives.

We are likewise committed to ensuring that our digital community, online gatherings, and live events are safe, inclusive, and welcoming for everyone, and are affirming of all aspects of a person's identity — including but not limited to gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, ability, medical status, socioeconomic status, education, and professional experience.

As a part of these commitments, we created the Integrity Oath as a foundation that all members of the Integrity Institute agree to abide by in their conduct not only as members, but as integrity professionals.

Members also agree to follow theCode of Conduct, which more specifically sets the standards for how members should engage across our digital spaces and live gatherings. This code outlines the expectations for member conduct, as well as how anyone with concerns can report potential violations of the Code of Conduct, and how it is enforced.

Respect One Another & Your Employers

• Encourage healthy dialogue and sharing different viewpoints: Members come from across the industry to share and develop their expertise across a variety of issues in the integrity space. Respect each others’ perspectives, viewpoints, and expertise. It’s okay to disagree, but do so with care and respect for others while cultivating a welcoming atmosphere through all of your interactions. It’s ok to make your viewpoints, but do so in ways that are respectful to others in the community who share our core values and feel differently.

• Respect Community Privacy: In general, all interactions on Slack, in digital meetings, and in live gatherings should be considered private. Unless otherwise stated, assume that Integrity Institute meetings operate by Chatham House rules. Members can use the information received, but cannot reveal the identity or affiliation of any participants.

• Respect Member Privacy: Members may not attribute ideas, resources, or any information about an individual members’ activities without their consent. Some members may need or want to keep elements of their work internal to the Integrity Institute.

• Keep work separate: Be clear on when you’re doing something for work vs. doing something for II. Don’t be ambiguous.

• Honor your NDAs: While you can discuss publicly available information and best practices, do not divulge information that would be considered proprietary by your employer.

Help to Foster an Environment of Inclusion & Belonging

• Help others feel welcome: Strive to be kind to other members and seek to value their unique perspective and expertise. Be mindful of unconscious behaviors that may make Integrity Institute a hostile space for others based on their identity. Integrity Institute is proud to be a place where people from around the globe can build relationships and share perspectives regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, medical status, socioeconomic status, education, and professional experience.

• Do not target others based on their identity: Deliberate, targeted harassment against people based on the attributes mentioned above (inclusive of but not limited to legally protected hate speech categories) is considered a severe violation of Integrity Institute’s Code of Conduct.

• Do not engage in hate speech or promote hateful viewpoints: This includes the use of sensitive terms, imagery, and denying historical events related to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, culture, nationality. We understand that certain projects may include reviewing sensitive content related to hate speech. In such cases, any discussion or review of sensitive content should be discussed in facilitated, structured spaces with ample warning before exposing members to sensitive content. It should be clear that sensitive hate content is being reviewed and combatted, not taught and promoted.

Thoughtfully Representation the Institute as a Member

• Feel free to publicly discuss your affiliation with the Integrity Institute: Do talk openly about your experience as a member. Do clarify that you speak for yourself, not for the broader membership or the Integrity Institute as an organization. Don’t violate our community’s norms of confidentiality. When possible, give us a heads up if you’ll be speaking about the Integrity institute publicly.

Be Considerate in Your Digital Communication

• Respect others’ limited attention: Do not broadcast the same message across many channels or DM threads. If you would like to announce something to the membership, use the #announcements channel or contact the community team for help. Members may share accomplishments, initiatives, or personal career progress in various contexts, but should not use digital spaces, tools, or the membership directory for purposes of excessive spam and self-promotion. If you would like to mobilize the membership to support a project, reach out to the Community Team for assistance.

• Do not abuse Integrity Institute’s digital spaces: Post content in appropriate channels. Do not abuse profiles, profile pictures and avatars, statuses, names in video calls, or appear in video feeds in any way that abuses our digital spaces or violates Integrity Institute policies.

• Do not engage in illegal activity: Do not engage in any activity or share content which may be found to be in violation of laws and regulations.

• Do not violate others policies: While we do not enforce the policies of other platforms, we expect members to honor the Terms of Service and policies of all platforms used throughout Integrity Institute. This includes but is not limited to Slack and related third party apps, Google Meet, and Zoom. Do not engage in any activity which may limit Integrity Institute’s ability to use any service or tool for any research, projects, or collaborations taking place at the institute.

Be Cautious When Sharing Sensitive Content

• Do not share explicit or sensitive content: Do not share illicit or sexualized imagery, violence, gore, shock content, and other content that may be considered explicit or sensitive. Members must limit, but with proper facilitation and consent-informed structure, reference sensitive content in relation to integrity work. With proper warning and responsible framing, members may reference sensitive content for illustrative purposes in contexts where sensitive content due to the nature of integrity work.

• Do not engage in inappropriate or unwanted activity with others: As a professional space, members are expected to engage each other as friends and colleagues. Do not use sexual language, share sexual content, or make sexual advances or give unwanted attention of any kind in Integrity Institute spaces.

• Self-Harm or Suicide: Do not share content promoting or glorifying self-harm or suicide. A best practice is to report any threats of self-harm or suicide immediately to local law enforcement.

Harassment & Threats Have No Place In Our Community

• Do not harass others: This can include but is not limited to insulting, trolling, bullying, mocking, disparaging, or humiliating others. If a member asks not to be contacted, respect that request.

• Do not dox others: Respect others’ privacy. Do not share personal identifying information of members without their consent. In addition to traditional doxxing policies, this may include a members’ place of work, position, and other identifying aspects of their work as integrity professionals which may expose them to additional risk if made public.

• Do not threaten others: Threats include any activity, or communication which threatens the safety of others. Do not threaten harm to individuals, their loved ones, or their property. Do not engage in physical threats or attacks, verbal threats that impact others’ wellbeing, stalk others online or at live gatherings, or engage in any activity that may make others feel threatened or unsafe.

Do not target others based on political, religious, or ideological belief: Do not discourage members from sharing viewpoints which follow Integrity Institute’s guidelines and share different perspectives on geopolitical events, elections, political viewpoints, and ideas which pertain to sociopolitical issues.