Purpose

We believe the conference should be truly open for everyone. As such, we are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or religion. We expect participants to be courteous and act professionally, and to interact and communicate in ways that are appropriate for a professional audience from diverse backgrounds.

This Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for participant behavior, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

We invite all sponsors, speakers, attendees, media, and other participants to help us realize a safe and positive conference experience for everyone.

All determinations of appropriate or inappropriate behavior are in SOFER Initiative’s sole discretion and the decision(s) of SOFER Initiative representatives will be final.

Expected behavior includes, but is not limited to:

• Be considerate, respectful and collaborative.
• Refrain from disruptive, demeaning, discriminatory or harassing behavior, materials and conduct.
• Use common sense and be mindful of the virtual environment and of your fellow participants. Alert event organizers if you notice any unacceptable behavior identified herein.

Unacceptable behavior & materials include, but are not limited to:

• Insulting, offensive, intimidating, harassing, abusive, profane, threatening, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning materials or conduct by any attendees of the event, whether masked with symbols, characters, or otherwise.
• Harassment includes negative or offensive comments (verbal, written or otherwise) related to age, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, race, color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or military or veteran status; inappropriate visible use of sexual images, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks, presentations, or other events (whether verbal or otherwise), deliberate intimidation, stalking, inappropriate contact or advances, and unwelcome sexual attention.
• Wearing clothing or attire that is not suitable for a professional environment, that is provocative, sexualized, obscene, or otherwise potentially offensive.
• Using nudity, including but not limited to sexual or lewd images.
• Written, verbal, digital or other abuse, intimidation, threats, annoyance, harassment, or stalking, which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive, or creates apprehension in a person, as determined by SOFER Initiative and its event management, in their sole discretion.
• Any boisterous, lewd or offensive behavior or language including but not limited to using sexually explicit or offensive language, materials or conduct, or any language/behavior or content that contains vulgarity, profanity, obscene gestures, or racial, religious, or ethnic slurs.
• Conduct, language, or other action that incites hatred or discrimination, advocates violence in any form, and/or outrage against others.
• Attending the event while visibly smoking or vaping.
• Attending the event with any visible item that can be used as a weapon.
• Attending the event with any illegal substance that is visible to any other persons attending the event, including but not limited to narcotics, marijuana, or other illegal drugs. SOFER Initiative does not tolerate the use or abuse of illegal substances at any time during the event.
• Using the online platform for the event for the purpose of, or resulting in, disturbing the peace, or committing any unlawful act or engaging in any offensive behavior.
• Capturing, taking photos, taking screenshots, filming, recording, streaming, live-streaming, copying, distributing, redistributing, displaying, or publishing any content from or portion of the event.
• Distributing malicious links or encouraging others to violate this Code of Conduct.
• Failure to comply with any written or verbal instructions provided by SOFER Initiative.
• Failure to obey any rules or regulations of the online platform used for the event.

Chat Guidelines for Attendees:

For all chat interactions during SOFER Initiative Events (SIEs) 2022, we expect participants to abide by this Code of Conduct and these guidelines to ensure the environment remains positive, productive, and respectful. The following chat guidelines will further help ensure we maintain an inclusive community throughout our event:

• Be considerate, respectful, and courteous to those in attendance.
• Avoid conflicts and arguments.
• Be mindful of your surroundings and fellow participants and use common sense, kindness, and consideration together with the guidelines outlined above.

Consequences of unacceptable behavior:

• Unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated whether by other attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, organizers, participants or any others present at the event.
• Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.
• If a participant engages in unacceptable behavior, SOFER Initiative, SOFER Initiative representatives or any event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from the event without warning or refund (if considered) to the participant.

What to do if you witness or are subjected to unacceptable behavior:

If you are subjected to unacceptable behavior, notice that someone else is being subjected to unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify an event organizer as soon as possible. All reports will remain completely confidential to the greatest extent possible.

You may email event@soferinitiative.org

Scope

We expect all conference participants (staff, sponsors, volunteers, speakers, attendees, and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct throughout the conference.

The above policies may be revised at any time by SOFER Initiative and are non-negotiable. This Code of Conduct is without prejudice to SOFER Initiative’s rights, all of which it expressly reserves.