Code of conduct enforcement guidelines

Participating in MDN Web Docs projects means adhering to the Mozilla Community Participation Guidelines (CPG). These guidelines exist to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment, and to ensure that every community member feels valued, heard, and protected.

This document describes how to report violations and what happens depending on the severity of a violation.

Guiding principles

• Transparency: Address every report clearly and consistently.
• Confidentiality: Protect reporter privacy unless explicit consent is given to share information.
• Proportionality: Responses to violations are proportionate to the harm caused.
• Restorative Justice: Repair harm and foster learning.

Code of Conduct violations and enforcement ladder

The MDN Community Management team (@mdn/community on GitHub) investigates the severity of behavior based on a report, then determines and carries out any actions, if appropriate. Violations follow a step-by-step escalation process, and the reportee is informed of consequences at each level. In serious cases, enforcement may skip levels up to and including an immediate, permanent ban.

Below is a summary of severity levels and enforcement actions.

Level 0: No action

• Severity: There is no clear indication a violation of the CPG.
• Actions: No formal action taken. Feedback is provided to the reporter, reportee, or both, to promote good behavior and positive interactions.

Level 1: Simple warning issued

• Severity: Minor violations of the CPG.
• Actions: A private, written warning from project leadership, with clarity of the violation and consequences of continued behavior.

Level 2: Formal warning issued

• Severity: Moderate violation of the CPG, or repeated minor violations.
• Actions:
  • A private, written warning with clarity of the violation and consequences of continued behavior.
  • Guidance on rectifying the situation, if possible.
  • Communication of next-level consequences if behaviors are repeated.

Level 3: Warning and mandatory cooling-off period

• Severity: Continued violations or escalation in severity.
• Actions:
  • A private warning with clarity of the violation and consequences of continued behavior.
  • No interaction on community messaging platforms, such as public forums, commenting on bugs.
  • No interaction with people involved in the report or others suspected to be involved.
  • Access to GitHub and Discord temporarily revoked.
  • Avoid interactions in Mozilla channels, physical spaces and offices, and online channels like social media (e.g., following/liking/re-posting).
  • The reportee has the opportunity to participate in the project again after onboarding that clarifies expected behavior.

Level 4: Permanent ban across MDN and Mozilla spaces

• Severity: Serious Mozilla Community Participation Guidelines (CPG) breaches.
• Actions:
  • Private communication of a ban from project leadership, with clarity of the violation and warning of consequences. Should the behavior continue, it would lead to a ban from all Mozilla community spaces.
  • Required to avoid interaction on community messaging platforms and external channels.
  • Deactivation of any and all Mozilla accounts.
  • Permanently banned from entering Mozilla digital and event spaces.
  • Permanently suspended from any and all community leadership roles.
  • Revocation of any and all permissions to use the Mozilla trademark.

Reporting process

Reporting violations

Reports can be sent to [email protected]. To report a violation or abuse on GitHub, see GitHub's content reporting guide. The "Report to repository admins" option must be checked for the MDN team to see a content report.

Include any relevant details, including date, time, and description of the violation. Include identifying information of the offender and screenshots, if possible.

Investigation

MDN Community Management investigates all reports confidentially. When necessary, further information may be requested from the involved parties.

Decision making

MDN Community Management assesses the severity of the violation, applies the enforcement actions as outlined, and communicates the outcome to relevant parties.

Appeals

Once an incident has been investigated and a decision has been communicated to the relevant parties, all have the opportunity to appeal this decision by sending an email to [email protected]. Appeals are reviewed by a separate, impartial panel.

Documentation and record keeping

All incidents will be documented to ensure consistency and fairness. Records of violations and actions taken are kept private and accessible only by MDN Community Management.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Common questions are answered below. If anything else about CPG reports and processes is unclear or unanswered, get in touch via one of our communication channels.

What happens if a violation involves an edge-case scenario?

Behavior that's inappropriate but is not explicitly described by the project's Code of Conduct are assessed individually. The enforcement team will make a judgment based on the context and the principles of fairness, transparency, and proportionality.

Examples include:

• Anonymous reports: These reports are investigated with extra care to validate the claims while maintaining fairness.
• Reports involving leadership members: A separate impartial panel will handle these cases to avoid conflicts of interest.
• Interactions during cooling-off periods: Violations during a cooling-off period, such as unintentional online interactions, may be considered differently, with an emphasis on intent and harm caused.

How is CPG maintained over time?

The CPG process is a living document that evolves with the community. Feedback is welcome on GitHub Discussions, Discord, and changes will be communicated on the community page.