Leadership Responsibilities

Working with the CEO and the Compliance Officer, Consortium Leaders will take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any behavior that violates this Code of Conduct and our other policies. Consortium Leaders also have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, and will communicate reasons for moderation decisions when appropriate.

Reporting Violations

Under the supervision of the Governance Committee of the Board, the Consortium’s CEO and Compliance Officer (“Compliance Team”) are jointly responsible for receiving and investigating potential violations of this Code of Conduct.

To report a potential violation please send an email to the CEO and Compliance Officer at [email protected]. In the subject line, please reference “Code of Conduct.” The email should include your name, the date(s) and place(s) of the potential violation, the name of the person who engaged in the potential violation, and a brief but specific description of the alleged violation. Please also include the best email to reach you for follow-up. If you prefer being contacted by phone, please also provide a phone number and best time of day to reach you.

In the event that the alleged violator is either the Unicode Compliance Officer or the CEO, please send your email to the Secretary & Chair of the Unicode Governance Committee. Officer information can be found on the Consortium website.

If you wish to make an anonymous report, please use the Consortium’s phone number or physical address found on the Consortium website.

Acting in Good Faith

Anyone reporting a potential violation of the Code of Conduct must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing that a violation has occurred. Making misleading, unsubstantiated or speculative allegations, or allegations that prove to have been made maliciously or to have been knowingly false is an abuse of this process and will be treated as a violation of this Code of Conduct.

Confidentiality

A report of a potential violation may be submitted on a confidential or anonymous basis. Confidentiality (or anonymity) cannot be guaranteed but will be respected to the extent possible while balancing the duties to conduct an adequate investigation and to protect the privacy and safety of the person reporting the violation. It should be understood that preserving a reporter’s anonymity may impact the ability to investigate alleged misconduct and ensure appropriate outcomes.

No Retaliation

No person who in good faith reports a potential violation of this Code of Conduct shall suffer adverse consequences such as harassment, retaliation, limits on their right to participate, or adverse employment consequences. Anyone who retaliates against someone who has reported a potential violation in good faith is in violation of this Code of Conduct and is subject to discipline up to and including termination and/or a permanent ban from participating in the Consortium’s activities.

Handling of Reported Violations

Upon receipt of a reported violation an investigation will be initiated, either by the Compliance Team or the Governance Committee or their delegates, as appropriate. This may include interviews with multiple parties, including the person reporting the potential violation, the person accused, any witnesses, and any other parties as needed.

Once the investigation is concluded, the Compliance Team will determine what corrective measures or sanctions are appropriate. In the case of more serious violations, the Compliance Team will consult with the Governance Committee, and potentially the Board of Directors, regarding appropriate sanctions. In all cases, every effort will be made to reach a fair conclusion while protecting the privacy and safety of the person reporting the violation and those impacted by it.

Corrective measures or sanctions will depend on the available evidence, the seriousness of the violation, the frequency or sustained nature of the objectionable behavior, and the impact on individuals and the Unicode community. Corrective measures or sanctions may include a warning, a request for apology or other mitigation, a temporary or permanent ban from participation in Consortium activities, reporting the matter to the accused person’s employer (if the person’s employer is a member), loss of membership in the Consortium, and/or in cases of unlawful activity, reporting the matter to appropriate legal authorities.