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Code of Conduct

Version 2.0, published July 2023​

Purpose​

The purpose of our Code of Conduct is to ensure that all participants in the Codewars community have the best possible experience. This code of conduct establishes the minimum expectations for behaviour for all Codewars participants in any space where you interact with Codewars, including; the website, Discord server, mailing lists, GitHub forums, or email communications.

This Code of Conduct includes Codewars learners on our website, Andela employees/contractors, Codewars moderators, partners/clients of Codewars, third-party vendors, partners, and sponsors.

By participating in the Codewars community, you agree to follow the rules in this Code of Conduct and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Our Standards​

Codewars is dedicated to providing a positive experience for everyone, regardless of; Age, Ability, Background, Caste, Citizenship, Education, Ethnicity and/or race, Family status, Gender, Gender identity or expression, Geographic location, Marital status, Nationality, Native language, Neurodiversity, Physical appearance, Place of birth, Religion or lack thereof, Sexual orientation, and, Socio-economic status.

Expected behavior​

  • Be considerate: The Codewars community connects developers of all skill levels, backgrounds, and cultures. If you are an experienced programmer, remember that others may not be, and don’t assume that everyone has the same culture as you. We are all learning!

  • Be respectful: We will never all agree on one programming language or library, and that is the value of different backgrounds and opinions. Value each other's ideas, backgrounds, skill levels and viewpoints. Be aware of your impact and how intense interactions may be affecting people. We also expect you to respect the Codewars team and moderators.

  • Stay on topic: Codewars is a place to practice, challenge ourselves and learn from our experience. Discussing our wins, failures and new ideas is encouraged. Be mindful to keep your conversations to the topic of the kata, channel or forum topic you are in.

  • Be honorable: We expect all members of the Codewars community to act in an honourable way at all times. Behaviours we consider dishonourable include; cheating, lying, encouraging violence, hate speech, and bullying.

  • Be empathetic: Programming can sometimes be stressful, and so can communicating in your non-native language. Take a moment to consider the learner behind the code or comment and be empathetic to others' situations.

  • Improve the discussion: Help us make Codewars a great place by working to improve and deepen discussion in some way, however small.

Behavior that is not tolerated​

  • Hate speech or imagery: Any form of expression (e.g. speech, text, or images) that can increase the risk of violence against members of another group. This includes using coded language, hate symbols, the denial of historical events, support for hate groups and people promoting hateful activities, prejudice and conspiracy theories.
  • Violence and threats of violence: Violence and threats of violence are not acceptable – online or offline. This includes incitement of violence toward any individual, including encouraging a person to commit self-harm. This also includes posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifiable information (“doxing”) online.
  • Influencing or encouraging inappropriate behavior: If you influence or encourage another person to violate the Code of Conduct, you may face the same consequences as if you had violated the Code of Conduct. Participants are expected to stop any inappropriate behaviour and comply immediately.
  • Promoting, coordinating, or engaging in sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist language, or otherwise exclusionary language: This includes deliberately referring to someone by a gender they do not identify with and/or questioning the legitimacy of an individual’s gender identity. If you’re unsure if a word is derogatory, don’t use it. This also includes repeated subtle and/or indirect discrimination.
  • Vulgar, offensive, and explicit language: The use of slurs, vulgar language, explicit language, offensive jokes, and behavior disrupts and distracts learners from their goals.
  • Cheating and plagiarising: Cheating, plagiarising, and the use of AI-generated code are not permitted on the Codewars website. Our algorithms and moderation team are trained to spot this behavior, and violators will face account restrictions.
  • Retaliation: Punishing someone for engaging in protected behavior is not permitted. This includes harassing, bullying, or filing a false report against a user for raising a sincere concern about your behavior.
  • Unwelcome sexual attention or behavior that contributes to a sexualized environment: This includes sexualized comments, jokes, or imagery in interactions, communications, or presentation materials, as well as inappropriate touching, groping, or sexual advances. Community members should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material.
  • Sustained disruption of online discussions, talks, or events: Sustained disruption of events, online discussions, or meetings, including talks and presentations, will not be tolerated. This includes, spamming email or chat channels, ‘Talking over’ or ‘heckling’ event speakers, or influencing crowd actions that cause hostility in event sessions. Sustained disruption also includes drinking alcohol to excess or using recreational drugs to excess, or pushing others to do so.
  • Unwelcome physical contact: This includes touching a person without permission, including sensitive areas such as their hair, pregnant stomach, mobility device (wheelchair, scooter, etc.), or tattoos. This also includes physically blocking or intimidating another person. Physical contact or simulated physical contact (such as emojis like “kiss”) without affirmative consent is not acceptable. This includes the sharing or distribution of sexualized images or text.
  • Spam, self-promotion or solicitation of business: Spamming the comments section of the Codewars website, channels on Discord, or GitHub forums is not permitted. Self-promotion (such as repeatedly promoting blogs, articles, videos, and accounts to promote your work) or soliciting business (including affiliate links for MLMs, and selling items) is also prohibited.

Enforcement of the Code of Conduct​

All reports made to Codewars are taken seriously. Those who don’t follow the Code of Conduct will be subject to repercussions, not limited to platform time-outs or lifetime bans.

Actions we may take in response to a Code of Conduct breach or abuse report but are not limited to;

  • Content removal
  • Content blocking
  • User warnings
  • User time outs
  • Account suspension
  • Account termination
  • Notification to local law enforcement

Every report is treated seriously, and the response will differ depending on the nature of the report.

Reporting a code of conduct incident​

If you notice a community member displaying examples of behaviour that are not tolerated in the Codewars Community or are affected by another community member's actions, please create a report by emailing conduct@codewars.com.

We strive to maintain the anonymity and confidentiality of all individuals involved in an incident report. However, there may be cases where our team may ask permission to identify the individual(s) involved to gather the complete and accurate information needed.

Modifications to these guidelines​

Codewars and Andela may amend the guidelines occasionally and vary the procedures set out where appropriate in a particular case.

Your agreement to comply with the guidelines will be deemed agreement to any changes.