Expectations for Participants
- Be welcoming first, knowledgeable second. Our goal is to provide a welcoming space for infosec veterans and newcomers alike. Please be respectful and patient.
- No harassment of any kind will be tolerated. Please see our anti-harassment policy below for our extensive guidelines on the matter.
- Nazi hackers fuck off.
- Give warning. All participants will be expected to provide content warnings for any in-depth discussion of material in their sessions that other participants may want to know about ahead of time. This includes, but is not limited to, discussions of violence, stalking, common phobias, etc.
- Safety matters. Please do your part to keep everyone as healthy as possible. All participants will be expected to take the health and well-being of their fellow participants into serious consideration. This means not attending if you are sick!
Anti-Harassment Policy
BSides CambridgeMA is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the conference organizers.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
- Verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination, such as those related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, or religion.
- Sexual images in public spaces
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
- Harassing photography or recording
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events
- Inappropriate physical contact
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
Enforcement
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund.
Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.
We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities. We think people should follow these rules outside event activities too!
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our event for everyone. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place.
You can make a report either personally or anonymously.
Anonymous Report
You can make an anonymous report here by emailing BSidesCambridgeMA[@]proton[.]me via an anonymous email provider such as GuerillaMail
We can’t follow up an anonymous report with you directly, but we will fully investigate it and take whatever action is necessary to prevent a recurrence.
Personal Report
You can make a personal report by:
- Emailing BSidesCambridgeMA[@]proton[.]me. This email will be continuously monitored for the duration of the event.
- Contacting a volunteer organizer, identified by ORGANIZER badges.
When taking a personal report, our volunteer organizers will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. They may involve other event organizers to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we’ll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we’ll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won’t be asked to confront anyone and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Our team will be happy to help you contact local support services, provide escorts, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your participation.
This anti-harassment policy is based on the example policy from the Geek Feminism wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers.
Health & Safety Procedures
Prior to attending, participants are encouraged to get the latest flu and COVID boosters available.
If you are sick on the day of the conference, please do not attend. Contact bsidescambridgema[@]proton[.]me