Take care of the commons
A good community makes it easier to ask a question, share a lesson, and disagree with care.
Protect people and research
Sharing any organization’s secret, private or confidential information or documents is not allowed anywhere on RA Commons, including private rooms, messages and Global Commons. This includes internal files, restricted findings, financial or personnel records, credentials, and identifiable research participant data. Share general lessons and resources that are already public instead. Room-admin approval never overrides this rule. Do not share details that could identify research participants indirectly. Profile photos and permitted chat attachments can be uploaded. Encryption does not authorize sharing confidential organization or participant information.
Respect the person
No harassment, discrimination, threats, doxxing, impersonation, spam, or retaliation. Describe experiences without exposing someone else’s private information. Get consent before sharing a person’s story or quoting them elsewhere.
Disagree constructively
Challenge an idea without attacking the person. Give context, distinguish firsthand experience from speculation, and avoid presenting one office’s practices as universal. Collective Voice is a place for careful deliberation, not unverified allegations against identifiable people.
Report and block
Use Report on a post, reply or message and explain the concern without adding sensitive data. Reports enter a private steward queue. Stewards can hide reported posts or replies, record a resolution, and suspend membership after review. Room admins moderate only their own rooms and must complete an authenticator or email security check. Platform stewards confirm room-admin nominations. For encrypted messages, only evidence the reporter explicitly agrees to share can be inspected by platform stewards; room admins gain no extra access to direct messages. Other messages in the conversation are not opened to moderators through the app. Blocking stops conversations and hides content in both directions, but cannot undo earlier copies or screenshots.
Keep expectations honest
This is not an emergency response service, confidential whistleblowing system, official workplace grievance channel, or guarantee of anonymity. For sensitive concerns, use an appropriate trusted reporting route outside this community. Community stewards review concerns and access decisions; immediate responses are not guaranteed.