Murmuration's Community Standards

Murmuration’s community standards are intended as a guide to ensure that every partner in our network uses our products and services to build community-centered collective power in ways that reinforce the healthy democratic culture that is part of the foundation for the America we are collectively working to transform. Trusted, consistent, shared perspectives and approaches make cooperation and collaboration easier and create strong agreements about what good, healthy organizing looks like. They ensure all partners are elevated by being part of this network, and that even when we prioritize differently or outright disagree that we are working toward the same long-term ultimate vision for community and for America. To that end, our community standards are drafted as a set of “we” statements – shared beliefs and commitments connecting Murmuration and all partner organizations that create common understanding and perspective from which all our collective work to build and activate power in communities is driven.

WE BELIEVE…

In our network, we share a core understanding of people, of effective leadership, of healthy systems, and of the vibrant civic life that makes the transformation of America possible. By design, our network is defined by diverse, sometimes contradictory understandings about the best strategies, most effective policies, and even basic ideas of priorities. And yet, even if we have different approaches to policy or theories of change, and don’t always use the same vocabulary or framing, our shared commitments to people, dignity, and community make participation in an interconnected network possible. Not every node in our network is connected to every other node, but the entire network is connected by certain fundamentally shared principles.

• Everyone is worthy of respect, so we organize and engage communities with attention to treating everyone with dignity.
• Free, healthy, and dignified spans every dimension of access, safety, and opportunity.
• Everyone living free, healthy, and dignified lives means everyone.
• Everyone thriving requires thriving communities: humans are interconnected and interdependent – understanding and supporting all the dimensions required for people to lead free, healthy, and dignified lives.

WE STRIVE…

To ensure our partners are treating others with dignity and that we are working collectively to transform America – despite disparate even occasionally opposing priorities and policies – we expect all our partners to strive to organize with these core guiding ideas in mind:

1. WE SEEK TO EXPAND PARTICIPATION IN CIVIC LIFE

A vibrant civic life is inclusive, creating connection and opportunities for leadership in service to our communities. Organizing is about meeting people where they are and offering invitations to participate in the building of shared collective cultural, community, political, and institutional power. Our efforts ought to always focus on expansion not restriction of access or participation at all phases of civic life.

Looks like…

• Open voter registration drives where anyone can register.
• Community town hall events are open to everyone.

Doesn't look like…

• Voter suppression campaigns that discourage or create barriers to participation.
• Advocating for laws or policies designed to restrict or reduce legitimate civic participation.

2. WE EXPAND ACCESS, AGENCY, AND AUTONOMY

In healthy democratic cultures, people use their agency to participate in collective action and collective governance and have autonomy over their choices at the level of public systems. Our work should invite people to participate in the work of building and using power; it should promote practices and policies that increase personal agency, opportunity, and trust in the processes, institutions, foundations, and frameworks systems we rely on for collective participation and governance.

Looks like…

• Canvassing campaigns that offer community members clear information about how to participate in local decision-making processes, like public comment periods, ballot initiatives, or local elections.
• Outreach that connects community members to tools, resources, or civic processes, like voter registration assistance, benefits access, or know-your-rights education, that help them make informed choices.
• Engaging the community through events or mail pieces to share information about issues a candidate or ballot initiative is focused on, so community members can make better-informed decisions.

3. WE PUSH OURSELVES TO DEFINE “ALLY” BROADLY AND TO EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK ALONGSIDE ALLIES AS ACCOMPLICES WHEN WE CAN

The world is full of allies if we understand progress ambitiously and embrace the interconnectedness of the dimensions of work we do to reform and transform this country. Allies who share our ultimate goals are essential to embrace even when our political or policy approaches don't align. Allies willing to stand with us and build power cooperatively when community priorities demand become accomplices in our shared work.

Looks like…

• Actively supporting allied organizing efforts in our communities by contributing time, energy, resources, and power to aligned groups despite different primary priorities.
• Collaborating with organizations where we have a shared goal in mind even when we may not share other perspectives/policies.

4. WE PRIORITIZE LISTENING FIRST IN OUR APPROACH TO ORGANIZING

Organizing is about helping people in communities build and make use of power. They remain at the center of our work and we strive to listen carefully and genuinely to their priorities and for opportunities to elevate community whenever possible.

Looks like…

• Learning, working, and organizing with communities.
• Crafting and implementing solutions with, not for, communities.

WE AGREE NOT TO…

The following activities are explicitly prohibited in our network:

1. Threatening or fomenting violence. Partners may not threaten violence towards others or use our products, tools, or services to organize, promote, or incite acts of real-world violence or terrorism, or generate or distribute content that is intended or reasonably likely to lead to imminent violence or a breach of the peace. When using our services, partners must think carefully about the words they use and the images they choose. They must work to ensure their content cannot reasonably be interpreted by others in a way that could negatively impact the safety and security of communities. If a partner thinks that someone else might interpret the content that is being created as a threat or as promoting violence or terrorism, they should reconsider their content and not send such content to their constituents. In extraordinary cases, Murmuration may report threats of violence to law enforcement or the appropriate government agency if we reasonably believe there may be a genuine risk of physical harm or a threat to public safety.

2. Perpetuating racism, sexism, or xenophobia, or bullying any population of people or any individual person. Partners may not create or distribute content that uses pejorative language or promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups or that results in bullying or intimidation of any individual. We do not tolerate bullying or harassment of any kind. Bullying includes any repeated or habitual conduct targeted at a specific person with the intent to harass, intimidate, or demean, as well as encouragement of self-harm, impersonating other persons, doxxing, or invading privacy. Such statements, which can constitute hate speech, undermine equality, and impact the well-being of individuals, are unacceptable in our communities. Any statements of inferiority based on the following categories or calls for segregation or exclusion may be considered hate speech:

• Age
• Sex
• Gender Identity and Expression
• Sexual Orientation
• Caste
• Disability
• Ethnicity
• Nationality
• Race
• Immigration Status
• Religion
• Victims of a Major Violent Event and their Kin
• Veteran Status

3. Engaging in the dissemination of disinformation and/or intentional spread of known misinformation.

Misinformation and disinformation undermine the integrity of democratic institutions and processes.

• Misinformation is misleading, untruthful, or outdated information that erodes trust in people and systems that are essential for individual and community safety, security, and growth.
  • Misinformation also includes out-of-context information that is misleading, including, but not limited to:
    • outdated scientific information
    • conspiracy theories, and
    • debunked stories.
• Disinformation is false, misleading information that is created with the intent to deceive, or a willful disregard for generally accepted facts.
  • Disinformation may also include the following intentional misrepresentations by way of example:
    • Misrepresentation of the dates, locations, times, and methods for voting, voter registration, or census participation.
    • Misrepresentation of who can vote, qualifications for voting, whether a vote will be counted, and what information and/or materials must be provided to vote.
    • Misrepresentation of who can participate in the census and what information or materials must be provided to participate.
    • Content stating that census or electoral participation may or will result in law enforcement consequences (for example, arrest, deportation, or imprisonment).
    • Explicit claims that people will be infected by COVID-19 (or another communicable disease) if they participate in the voting process.

4. Diminishing trust in scientific knowledge or the scientific process itself.

There is an important factual basis behind the scientific process that is critical for our society to have accurate information to drive knowledge and understanding. We expect that engagement and dialogue supported by Murmuration’s tools rely on fact-based information to ensure accurately informed communities. Partners may not engage in activities that knowingly cast doubt on information supported by peer-reviewed scientific evidence or that have been definitively disproven by such evidence.

5. Undermining trust in the democratic process, particularly elections.

Representativeness and self-government are fundamental pillars of healthy democratic culture and are built on the assumption that democratic processes reflect the intentions of communities across the nation. We will not tolerate any efforts by partners that undermine, propagate distrust in, or directly threaten the laws, institutions, officials, or election workers who create and support them – including rejection of the legitimacy of an election without credible evidence. Partners may not discourage or restrict access to civic engagement, particularly voting. We believe that ensuring individual voices are heard is a critical component of creating a healthy democratic culture. We do not accept any efforts by partners that discourage or hinder individuals from participating in voting activity at any level. This includes supporting efforts to limit the ability of eligible voters to participate or communicating with individuals in a manner that could be reasonably interpreted as dissuading them from participating in civic engagement or voting.

OTHER PROHIBITED BEHAVIORS

Please refer to our Subscription Terms for other explicitly prohibited behaviors including spamming or commercial solicitation, the dissemination of sexually explicit content, and the design or distribution of malware. Our Privacy Policy governs how we collect, use, and protect personal information in connection with our services.

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Murmuration reserves the right to enforce this policy at its sole discretion and through any methods it deems necessary, including, but not limited to: issuing warning letters; imposing probationary periods or additional scrutiny; suspending or terminating partner or user access to the services, implementing technical changes; or taking appropriate legal action including reporting partners or users to law enforcement agencies, government agencies, or third-party investigators. Murmuration’s failure to enforce any provision of these Community Standards shall not constitute a waiver of its right to do so in the future.

MODIFICATIONS

Murmuration reserves the right to modify these Community Standards at any time. We will notify partners of material changes by posting the updated standards on our website and updating the effective date above. Continued use of our products and services following any such modification constitutes acceptance of the revised Community Standards.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER POLICIES

These Community Standards supplement and are incorporated into our Subscription Terms. In the event of any conflict between these Community Standards and the Subscription Terms, the Subscription Terms shall control. Your use of our services is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and share information. By using our services, you agree to these Community Standards and the Subscription Terms and acknowledge that you have read and reviewed the Privacy Policy.