Introduction

The FIWARE Community’s policy is to conduct its business affairs honestly and in an ethical manner. This Code of Conduct provides a general statement of the expectations of the FIWARE Community concerning the ethical standards that each the FIWARE Community member should adhere to while acting on behalf of the FIWARE Community under the assumption that the FIWARE Community pride itself on building a productive, happy and agile community that can welcome new ideas in a complex field, and foster collaboration between groups with very different needs, interests and goals.

This Code of Conduct does not cover every issue that may arise, but it sets out basic principles to guide all the FIWARE Community members. All of the FIWARE Community members must conduct themselves accordingly and seek to avoid even the appearance of improper behavior. This Code of Conduct applies to all the FIWARE Community members regardless their role in the FIWARE Community itself. Conduct in violation of this policy is unacceptable in the workplace and in any work-related setting outside the workplace. Any member who violates this Code of Conduct will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of his/her FIWARE Community membership.

This Code of Conduct covers also individuals behavior as members of the FIWARE Community, in any forum, mailing list, wiki, web site, IRC channel, public meeting or private correspondence. the FIWARE Community Members and governance bodies are ultimately accountable to the FIWARE Community Board of Directors.

This Code of Conduct should be interpreted in light of the purpose of the FIWARE Community, and composition of its membership. This Code of Conduct should not be read to restrict any individual covered by this Code of Conduct from performing his or her fiduciary duties to a FIWARE Community Core or Regular Member.

Compliance

The Individual Members, Core Members, and Regular Members of the FIWARE Community shall comply with the FIWARE Community’s Governance Model documents and other internal regulations (as may be applicable from time to time) and comply with the rules and regulations of federal, state, and local governments, and any other appropriate regulatory agencies (as may be applicable from time to time).

They shall proactively promote ethical behaviour as a responsible member among peers, in the framework of the FIWARE Community and in the community.

Acting in the (sole) interest of the FIWARE Community

The BoD members, the TSC members and any other persons who are acting in their capacity as members of governing bodies or committees of or exercising a similar function within the FIWARE Community, shall perform their duties and conduct themselves in conformity with the interests of the FIWARE Community according to its Governance documents and other internal regulations without seeking nor accepting instructions from any government, authority, company, organisation or person external to the FIWARE Community.

The BoD members and the TSC members must base their decisions on a proper consideration of the overall good of the FIWARE Community, and act in a neutral way must not act in the interest of individual stakeholders or groups of stakeholders over the interest of the FIWARE Community as a whole.

Information

The BoD members, the TSC members and any other persons who are acting in their capacity as members of bodies or committees of the FIWARE Community should provide information that is accurate, complete, objective, relevant, timely, and understandable. They should share knowledge and maintain skills important and relevant to the FIWARE Community’s needs.

The work carried out in the FIWARE Community is aimed to be used by other people, and the FIWARE Community work in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision taken will affect users and colleagues, so they should be taken having all those consequences into account when making decisions. the FIWARE Community has a global base of users and of contributors. Even if it is not obvious at the time, contributions to the FIWARE Community activities will impact the work of others.

Confidentiality – Discretion

The BoD members, the TSC members and other persons who are acting in their capacity as members of governing bodies or committees of or exercising a similar function within the FIWARE Community, should refrain from all behaviour that could affect the dignity of their duties, in particular concerning public pronouncements.

The FIWARE Community is a community based on transparency and openness, however there are situations, defined by the BoD, in which the BoD members, the TSC members and any other persons who are acting in their capacity as members of bodies or committees of the FIWARE Community should maintain maximum discretion regarding any fact and information that comes to their attention when performing their duties and they should maintain confidentiality of deliberations, discussions and decisions within the various FIWARE Community bodies. This case they should not (i) communicate, in whatever form, to any non-authorised person any document or information that has not been made available to the general public, and not (ii) use document or information obtained in the performance of their duties for any other purpose than the performance of their duties. They remain committed to this obligation even after termination of their duties with the FIWARE Community. For the avoidance of doubt, the confidentiality of deliberations, discussions and decisions within the BoD or the TSC that are not confidential has to be preserved within the respective body.

Integrity – Professionalism and respect

The BoD members and the TSC members must conduct themselves in such a way as to maintain the integrity of and public confidence in the FIWARE Community without abusing their voting rights or other membership rights in the FIWARE Community. Members should not attempt to manipulate election results at all levels. Open debate is welcome, but vote trading, ballot stuffing and other forms of abuse are not acceptable.

Each Individual Member within the FIWARE Community shall at all times act honestly, in good faith and in a professional manner. Following are the cornerstone principles:

The FIWARE Community members treat one another with respect. Everyone can make a valuable contribution to the FIWARE Community: not necessarily everybody always agree, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. Some frustration now and then may arise, but it is not acceptable to allow such frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. It is a must for the FIWARE Community members to be respectful when dealing with other contributors as well as with people outside the FIWARE Community and with users of FIWARE technologies.
Collaboration is central to the FIWARE Community as a well established principle in the whole free software community. This collaboration involves individuals working with others in teams within the FIWARE Community, teams working with each other within the FIWARE Community, and individuals and teams within the FIWARE Community working with other projects outside. Wherever possible, it is important to work closely with upstream and downstream projects and others in the free software community to coordinate FIWARE technical, advocacy, documentation, and other work.
The FIWARE Community work should be done transparently and should involve as many interested parties as early as possible. If a different approach is decided, early information through the FIWARE Community dedicated channels should be made, together with regularly information on work progress providing as much as possible always complete information.
Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and the FIWARE Community is no exception. It is important that to resolve disagreements and differing views constructively and with the help of the FIWARE Community and the FIWARE Community processes as appropriate. Governance bodies at all levels are there to help to decide the right and best course for the FIWARE Community. When a member’s goals differ dramatically from those of the others, it is encouraged and appreciated the creation of alternative implementations, so that the community can test new ideas and contribute to the discussion.
Nobody knows everything, and nobody is expected to be perfect in the FIWARE Community. Asking questions avoids many problems down the road, and so questions are encouraged. Those who are asked questions should be responsive and helpful. However, when asking a question, care must be taken to do so in an appropriate forum.

Independence

The FIWARE Community BoD members and the TSC members shall act in good faith, responsibly, and with due care, competence, and diligence, without misrepresenting material facts or allowing one’s independent judgment to be subordinated.

The FIWARE Community BoD members and the TSC members must always use independent judgment in the exercise of their mandate and they cannot receive voting instructions, except for instructions provided by a member to another member as his/her proxy holder.

If a member of the BoD or the TSC votes against a resolution of the BoD or the TSC, he/she must nevertheless publicly support that resolution if it has been adopted by the FIWARE Community. If a BoD or TSC member cannot reconcile this duty of obedience with his/her conscience, he/she must resign from the relevant body.

Commitment of governance bodies members

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community should be committed to the purposes of the FIWARE Community and should base their decisions and take such action as necessary to support and further those purposes.

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community should be familiar with the FIWARE Community’s activities, organisation, financial situation, culture and legal framework.

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community should have the necessary time and expertise to perform their duties. In case this is no longer the case, they should resign.

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community should be present at each meeting of the BoD or the TSC respectively, unless there is a good justification, and they should well prepare each meeting.

Corruption – Bribery – Fraud

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community shall not offer or deliver any sums of money or anything of value to national or European government officials to influence a discretionary decision, e.g. with a view to obtaining certain subsidies, approvals or authorisations, or an exemption from certain legal or contractual obligations. Likewise, they shall not offer or deliver to partners or third parties any sums of money, regardless of the intention.

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community shall not offer to actual or potential business relationships nor solicit or accept from them any benefits that do not fall within the customary practices for business gifts.

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community shall achieve responsible use of and control over all assets and resources employed or entrusted and shall not use any assets belonging to the FIWARE Community for their personal benefit or for any benefit other than that of the FIWARE Community.

The BoD members and the TSC members of the FIWARE Community shall not commit or participate in any fraudulent acts and shall immediately report any fraudulent acts committed by others.

Human dignity – Discrimination – Inter-relationships

Each individual within and outside the FIWARE Community is to be treated with respect and dignity. The FIWARE Community does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and in particular not when it is based on personal characteristics such as gender, race, age, religion, political conviction, or physical abilities, nor any form of harassment.

Mailing lists and web forums are an important part of the FIWARE Community collaboration platform. This Code of Conduct applies to members behavior in those forums too. In addition to what set before in this Code of Conduct, the following principles also apply when using such tools:

valid email addresses to which direct responses can be made shall be used;
flamewars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive arguments are elements of misbehaviour and should be avoided.