Linux Foundation Events Code of Conduct Transparency Report - 2021 Event Summary

(Updated July 15, 2022)

For many of us, it has been several years since we’ve been in conference settings, or around many people at all. As we close in on a broader return to in-person events next month, this is the perfect time to reiterate that our events are gatherings intended for professional networking and collaboration for the open source community, that exist to encourage the open exchange of ideas. Thus, they require an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group. All event participants, whether they are attending an in-person or a virtual event, are expected to behave in accordance with our Event Code of Conduct. In short: Be kind. Be professional. Treat everyone with respect. 

The importance of a diverse, welcoming and inclusive open source community has been widely understood for some time. Progress is slowly being made, but there is a long way to go. We created our Event Code of Conduct in 2011 as one of many ways we at the Linux Foundation could help create a more welcoming community. Events play a huge role in how open source communities collaborate, and it is critical that these are safe spaces, free of harassment and discrimination. 

In the earlier years of our Event Code of Conduct, we received very few incident reports, but that number has grown, especially in recent years. This is a good thing. It means our event participants feel more comfortable speaking up. And the more people speak up, the sooner we can reach our shared goal of a truly inclusive community. 

To that end, we will begin publishing a round-up of Event Code of Conduct reports, starting with this 2021 summary. We only held a few in-person events in 2021, so expect these reports to be longer in the future as we continue to hold more in-person events. Moving forward, these reports will be published bi-annually. We will also publish event-specific reports for events with 2,000+ in-person attendees.

We look forward to seeing you all soon, online or in person.  

The Linux Foundation Events Team
events@linuxfoundation.org

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2021 Code of Conduct Incidents By Event

KubeCon Europe (Virtual) 

• 2 reports of concern that several CNCF ambassadors were airing grievances about not having talks accepted at the event, which belittled the work of the program committee
  • Resolution: A warning was issued, and we published this blog outlining the review process
• 1 report of inappropriate sexual advance in a virtual session via chat
  • Resolution: A warning was issued

Open Source Summit North America (In Person + Virtual)

• 1 person videotaping other attendees without their consent (In Person)
  • Resolution: A warning was issued
• 1 report of attendee violating the mask mandate
  • Resolution: A warning was issued

KubeCon North America (In Person + Virtual) 

• 1 person videotaping other attendees without their consent (In Person) 
  • Resolution: A 2nd and final warning was issued and letting them know their action is illegal in California
• 2 reports of attendees violating the mask mandate 
  • Resolution: warnings were issued 
• 1 report of staff at a sponsor booth ignoring a woman attendee
  • Resolution: A warning was issued
• 1 person banned from attending the event due to behavior prior to event showed up to the JW Marriott multiple times
  • Resolution: The individual was escorted out of the venue each time
• 1 attendee was speaking unprofessionally to a member of the LF staff when asked to abide by Covid health + safety protocols
  • Resolution: A warning was issued
• 2 sponsors were handing out collateral with profanity on them
  • Resolution: A warning was issued, and they refrained from passing out the offending materials thereafter
• 1 attendee reported (on social media) a staff member at the JW Marriott restaurant was racially profiling them
  • Resolution: LF notified JW Marriott hotel management and LF staff followed up with the attendee that alerted LF of the issue
• Multiple reports of harassment were received against the same attendee. Additional reports were received post-KubeCon as well, for a total of 5 reports.
  • Immediate Temporary Suspension: Promptly after the complaints were received, the accused person was suspended from participating in LF communities, including attending LF Events, to protect the community from risk of harm while the investigation was ongoing.  The accused person violated this temporary suspension by traveling to the city where a Linux Foundation conference was being held and engaging in social activities with conference attendees off-premises, outside of official conference spaces that LF Events staff and security were able to monitor and control.  LF Events staff did not learn that the accused violated the temporary suspension until after the conference had ended.   Additionally, because the accused person had previously been engaged to perform work for the CNCF community as a contractor, LF and CNCF immediately suspended the accused person’s service.  
  • The Investigation: The LF engaged a neutral outside professional investigator to conduct an in-depth investigation.  The investigator reviewed extensive documentary evidence and interviewed 15 people, including all reporters and the accused.  Due to the challenges of scheduling interviews with 15 witnesses and obtaining evidence from third parties including conference vendors, it took several months to complete the investigation.  Because the reported incidents took place at or in connection with LF and CNCF events, all aspects of the investigation and its outcome were managed by LF Events staff and the external investigator rather than by CNCF staff.
  • No Conflicts of Interest: No individual staff member on the Linux Foundation Events team or CNCF leadership team had either a close friendship or personal business relationship with the accused person that could have created a conflict of interest or impacted the investigation or its outcome, despite rumors that have come to our attention suggesting that such a relationship existed.  Even though no actual conflicts of interest existed, individuals who were the subject of these rumors did not participate in the investigation or any aspect of decision-making regarding its outcome.
  • Final Resolution: At the conclusion of the investigation, the decision was to ban the accused person from attending any future Linux Foundation or LF project events, and from participating in any committee or holding any leadership position with any Linux Foundation project (including but not limited to CNCF). Additionally, LF and CNCF permanently ended their contractual relationship with the accused individual.  The individual was notified of these decisions.
  • Confidentiality and Information Sharing: While the investigation was still in progress, we asked participants in the investigation to honor the confidential nature of the investigation in order to prevent attempts to influence other witnesses, tamper with evidence, or otherwise undermine the integrity of the investigation.  However, as soon as the investigation was completed, those risks no longer existed; therefore, reporters and witnesses may now speak freely about the incident and the investigation with anyone they choose to.  

PrestoCon Day (Virtual)

• 1 Attendee was spamming links to YouTube videos and memes for competitors in the virtual chat.
  • Resolution: LF staff deleted posts and removed the user from the event platform. The attendee’s registration information was fake, so no further follow up could be done.