Collaboration guidelines

D R A F T

TITiPI Collaboration guidelines

These Collaboration Guidelines will be regularly updated (version 02/10/2023).

Purpose and scope

These Guidelines outline our expectations for all those who collaborate with and within The Institute for Technology in the Public Interest (TITiPI). They are to be read first as an affirmative commitment of TITiPI as a safe(r) space, and hence are ongoingly edited/commented, as TITiPI understands its collaborations are also a work in progress and full of contradictions; these Guidelines also explain what will happen if the Guidelines themselves are transgressed.

TITiPI understands itself as a context for knowledge production and praxis. In that line, we invite collaborators (paid or otherwise; sponsors; members; participants and other guests) to commit to these Collaboration Guidelines when participating in TITiPI activities, both online and in-person.

How do we treat each other?

• Being constantly attentive to our surroundings and other participants, and alerting organizers if we notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or transgressions of these Collaboration Guidelines, even if they seem inconsequential.
• With mutual considerateness and supportive collaboration, solidarity, and respect. Careful and appreciative interaction with each other.
• Making no active discrimination, for example based on assigned gender, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic situation, language, religion, physical attributes or sexual orientation.
• Extending no passive discrimination, for example by contributing to projects (institutional, academic or private) which are funded my extractive structures based on oppressive logics. We understand that such contributions are a way of staying accomplice, and hence we are commited to staying alert to when these elements are at play. ,[this seems a bit impossible because of our considsering current publicly funded model i.e all eu funding has touched big oil at some point... ??]
• With respect for the dignity, experiences, and perspectives of the individuals and communities impacted by extractive Computing Infrastructures and recognize that not every one of them is impacted equally. Some are likely to benefit economically, socially, or otherwise, while others are likely to suffer from these systems.
• Recognizing that there are multiple forms of evidence of what* Extractive Computational Infrastructures* are, and of their effects.
• Being cognizant of the role that power plays in shaping how we inhabit (both physical and online) rooms, how we speak up, how we shape urgencies and how we commit to challenging unjust existing power structures such as (but absolutely not limited to) racism, sexism, ableism, anti-transness, ageism, speciesm, classism and queer antagonism.
• Understanding that language is sensitive and everyone has their own preferences:
  • Using gender-neutral, non-discriminatory language generally and respect individual pronouns concretely
  • Avoiding ableist and other harmful language - learn more here: https://www.selfdefined.app/
  • Recognizing the difference between identity-first and person-first language, especially when discussing disability ("people with disabilities" vs. "disabled people"). Note: many activists from the disability community prefer using identity-first language.
• Avoiding to make relational assumptions, either verbally or physically
  • Ask before touching anyone. That includes hugging – so please ask first
• Affirming the value of asking questions and requesting clarification, but also knowing that not all questions need to be answered.
• Keeping as an open question (active, shapeshifting and ongoing) they key concern about how do we resolve conflicts

TITiPI is committed to practising restorative and transformative justice during and after conflicts, which includes putting researchful and militant energy in loads of (un)learning as well as being in continuous and attentive experimentation with careful modes for attuning our relations with others.

Harassment

Harassment by anyone collaborating with or within TITiPI is unacceptable. This includes organizers and (especially) those with decision-making authority; whether online, during live events or in one-on-one communications.

Harassment includes:

• intimidating, abusive, discriminatory, intentional misgendering, derogatory or demeaning speech or actions
• harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments related to gender, trans status, sexual orientation, physical appearance, body size, technical choices, lack of technical knowledge, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion (or lack thereof) and other personal conditions and choices
• trolling, i.e. sustained disruption of conversations, talks or other events
• nonconsensual photography or recording
• nonconsensual use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces (including presentation slides)
• deliberate intimidation, stalking or following
• nonconsensual physical contact
• unwelcome sexual attention
• microaggressions, i.e. small, subtle, often subconscious actions that marginalize people from oppressed groups
• minimizing other people’s experiences of harassment (?)
• other?

If we notice harassment towards ourselves or towards others, present or not, we will take collective responsibility to respond, and we [will] try to avoid focusing on judging and being or feeling judged.

Anyone asked to stop harassing behavior, is expected to stop immediately.

We will have no discussion about how behavior was meant. What we care about is how it makes someone feel. Please respect that if someone signals they are hurt by certain behavior, we will be asked to change that behavior or step out. Please also be aware that many of us have had to explain ourselves a lot and it’s not fair to assume that everybody has time and energy to give us extended explanations about how they feel.

Immediate intervention (help is needed now!)

If we are feeling unsafe or we notice someone in distress, we can immediately alert an organizer, or a member of TITiPI. They will do their best to help, or find ~~the correct ~~assistance if relevant and necessary.

Non-immediate intervention (a situation that requires more time)

If we feel comfortable or able to, we discuss the issues with the involved parties. We prefer to constructively resolve disagreements together, when it is possible and safe to do so. However, if the problem still persists, please find a TITiPI member who will do their best to unlock the situation or contact us at: info@titipi.org

Mutual accountability system (beta testing)

TITiPI is also committed to a "mutual accountability system", organized around the notion of crossed-responsibility. This system is in a beta testing state, and in general it consists on being in dialogue with a (previously agreed upon) peer organization(s) with similar care sensibilities. The organisation, that has with its own situated experiences and cultures, offers itself as a direct and intimate interlocutor in case TITiPI is experiencing difficulties when dealing with these guidelines. In relation, TITiPI offers itself to accompany and closely follow whichever process our peer organization needs to go through, being generously vigilant about the application of their own collaboration guidelines.

On a forthcoming state, these sharing moments can happen not only when difficulty is found, but as a by-default part of the day to day praxis of both organizations, embedded in their workflows as yet another way to keep learning and discussion going between the two, in an affirmative and exuberant manner.

TITiPI's peer for this purpose, until otherwise stated, is: Varia Space for Everyday Technology (Rotterdam, NL): https://varia.zone/

Licence and Attribution

These Collaboration Guidelines combine the Queer Code of Conduct, The Constant Guidelines for Collaboration, the Commitment read at Optimization and Its Miscontents: Counterpolitics of Surveillance Capitalism (Berlin, 2019), Code of Co-living, HYPERWERKINSTITUTE IXDM and 2022 hybrid Allied Media Conference - How-to. Each of these documents themselves are relying on the important work by communities committed to creating safer environments. These Guidelines are released under The Collective Conditions for Re-Use and are open to suggestions and criticism: info@titipi.org