Ombudsteam Reminder: Guidelines for WG Chairs and Leadership

[Sofia Celi <[e-mail]>]

Dear, WG Chairs and leadership,

This email comes from the Ombudsteam (with help of some ADs) as both a 
reminder and a guideline regarding expected conduct for IETF chairs and 
other leadership positions.

One of the main guidelines for our community is: don't harass people. 
This applies to every IETF participant equally and it is consistent with 
RFC 7776 and the IETF Anti-Harassment Policy, which apply to all 
participants.

However, when harassment or intimidation comes from someone in a 
position of authority, such as a working group chair, AD, or other 
leadership role, the impact is significantly compounded.

Research consistently shows that people are far less likely to report 
harassment when the person involved has power over them. Fear of 
retaliation, professional repercussions, and reputational damage are all 
deterrents. As a result, inappropriate behaviour by leadership can have 
chilling effects that extend well beyond the immediate target, 
discouraging participation and undermining trust in the IETF as an open 
and fair forum.

For this reason, IETF leadership must hold themselves to a higher 
standard of conduct. Even behaviour that might be brushed off as "minor" 
in a peer-to-peer context can feel coercive or intimidating when 
delivered by someone in authority. Leadership must be especially mindful 
not to use their positions in ways that could be seen as retaliatory, 
intimidating, or silencing.

In particular, we want to emphasise:

* Do not abuse the authority of the leadership role (chair, ADs or 
others). Leadership is responsible for ensuring inclusive and respectful 
discussions, not for policing or punishing dissent.
* Do not reach out to IETF participants' employers, workplaces, or 
institutions to inform them of alleged behaviour, or to demand 
corrective or punitive actions. Seeking to have someone disciplined or 
fired for IETF-related disagreement or criticism is a serious abuse of 
power.
* Do not use your position to pressure participants outside of the 
established processes of consensus and community governance.

Our community depends on open participation, especially from 
early-career and underrepresented voices. Protecting those voices 
requires that our leadership act with restraint and integrity.

We remind the community that participants can always contact the 
Ombudsteam in confidence if they experience or witness such behaviour. 
We will also be reaching out to update the training material (where 
needed) to make sure these expectations are explicitly stated for all 
IETF WG chairs and leadership.


Sofia, for the Ombudsteam.

-- 
Sofía Celi
@claucece
Cryptographic research and implementation at Brave and University of 
Bristol. 🏳️‍🌈
Reach me out at: [e-mail]
Website: https://sofiaceli.com/