[arin-ppml] Interpretation Question -- ARIN Code of Conduct

[Ronald F. Guilmette]

My apologies for interrupting ongoing discusions of pending policy proposals,
but I have reason at the moment to seek views regarding people's
interpretations of the word "harassment" as used repeatedly within the
ARIN Code of Conduct.

I should begin by saying that my sudden interest in this topic has been
piqued by recent events on one particular mailing list of a different
Regional Internet Registry (i.e. not ARIN).

My hope and belief is that "harassment" as used within the ARIN Code of
Conduct is sufficiently broad in its practical interpretation to cover
any and all manner of threats against any and all participants in the
ARIN community, including but not limited to threats of bodily harm,
threats of doxxing, threats to reveal personal information of any kind
which might possibly be damaging in any way to the party being threatened,
and threats of legal action, whether well founded or otherwise.

I have a particular interest in that final category of threat at the present
time, but really, because of the inherent ambiguity of the rather broad
brush term "harassment" I'd like to know if others here feel as I do that
any type of interpersonal threat should have no place in othewise civilized
discussions in or on any mailing list belonging to any Regional Internet
Registry.

I shall of course, be perusing the Codes of Conduct for all five RIRs to
try to ascertain what each might have to say on this subject, if anything,
although I'm sure that many, including myself, would have hoped that it
would have been implicitly clear to all, globally, even without any formal
codification, that threats are not exactly conducive to cooperation toward
shared goals, let alone any communal sense of esprit de corps.


Regards,
rfg