[Osmf-talk] Clarification on how "Proposed draft policy on project-wide suspensions and bans" would be implemented Re: Next OSMF board meeting on Thursday 28 September 2023, at 15:00 UTC

[Paul Norman]

On 2023-09-26 2:45 a.m., Emerson Rocha wrote:
> Well, even if not formalized initially on the new Etiquette Guidelines
> for osmf-talk and forums, on on private communication about suspension
> for something, a person could receive an warning that further
> violations of Etiquette*on the forum*  could also mean sent "a
> recommendation will be sent to the Data Working Group that you be
> banned from participation in OpenStreetMap.". This is why the idea of
> "global suspension" is not something new, but until now, it would not
> be automatic (e.g. DWG would need to still decide, not merely be
> subject of outside decision from another working group which is not
> even OSMF). I'm just saying for context (not saying it could not be
> argued).

People banned from editing are still able to participate in discussions.

> The Cluster B (https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Cluster_B), which most
> part is not anymore on the current OSMF Strategy plan, had references
> such as the "Task B403: Address cultural barriers / Action: The Board
> will appoint moderators to the talk list moderation team who are
> sensitive to cross-cultural differences and who are able to defuse
> situations and, in severe cases, to intervene forcefully. (sic)" To
> this I would add the following:

Appointing moderators to the talk list moderators is different than a 
proposal on when a community-wide ban is applied.

> 1. Eight out of nine documented cases of moderation activity are about
> sanctioning non-native English speakers for communication activities
> in English language.

Looking at recent suspensions in Discourse, of the five this year, two 
of them involved suspensions where the user's native language, the 
language they posted in, and the language the moderators involved spoke 
were all the same. One involved a non-native English moderator 
sanctioning a presumed native English speaker for communications 
activities in English, which is the opposite of what you were talking 
about. Most of the suspensions were about actions that at least 
originated with a region-specific category, which is why most moderators 
do not have English as their native language.

Going farther back, the pattern continues of about half of moderation 
activity being done by local category moderators.

I can't speak for statistics on the mailing lists since there's no 
central store of moderator actions, so you'd have to go around and ask 
the moderators of each mailing list.