Dear Wikimedians,
In a nutshell: This is the second call for applications to volunteer for
the Interim Trust & Safety Case Review Committee (hereafter Case Review
Committee, or CRC). The CRC will stand until the Universal Code of Conduct
escalation process pathways are defined and established. Text below
explains what the committee does and what is required of applicants. If it
resonates with you, please apply. Please forward this to any groups you
think appropriate! This call for applicants will be open until February 25. (A
translatable version of this announcement is on Meta at [1].)
*
In 2020, the Board of Trustees asked the Wikimedia Foundation to put
together an interim volunteer community review process to help support
Trust & Safety behavioral investigations by ensuring that there is a
functionary appeal process available for borderline cases.[2] For clarity,
this is to appeal cases handled by the Foundation’s professional Trust &
Safety staff. It is not to appeal governance decisions by community
administrators or governance bodies.
A permanent review process for Trust & Safety team cases will be created
later as part of the final stages of the Universal Code of Conduct, but
this quickly constituted interim Case Review Committee will be asked to
serve until it is functional. As of February 2022, the interim Case Review
Committee will serve until the end of the calendar year 2022, or when a
permanent process is ready to supersede it. This is a critical layer of
oversight to ensure that Foundation actions are fair and unbiased and that
the Foundation doesn’t step in where it is not necessary to do so.
We are looking for functionaries and experienced volunteers with an
interest in joining this group. If the work resonates and you qualify,
please apply.
There is a page on Meta with more information about how the CRC works.[3]
In brief, it reviews the case files of qualifying Trust & Safety
investigations that are appealed either by the person who requested the T&S
investigation or by a person sanctioned as a result of one. We anticipate
that, during active appeals, members may need to dedicate about 5 hours of
work a week reviewing case files. Since it began accepting appeals in
September 2021, however, the CRC has had a light workload.[4]
You will be asked to meet with the rest of the group on a quarterly basis
to discuss the committee itself and how it might be improved. In its first
year of operation, the CRC has provided feedback to Wikimedia Foundation
Trust & Safety on how it could improve some of its processes.
There are a few very specific requirements for those who are accepted. If
you are interested in applying, we ask that you first read the Committee
charter and decide if you are willing and able to abide by the conditions
of membership and if you meet the criteria outlined there.[3] If you then
want to apply, please write to legal(a)wikimedia.org using “Case Review
Committee” in your subject line. Please include your username, your
credentials, and a statement of what you hope to bring to the role.
Credentials in this case refers to community background - have you been an
administrator? A member of an arbitration committee? Where or when? What
experiences do you think have prepared you to do this well? Reference to
professional credentials will also be taken into account, but does require
legal identification so that it may be confirmed. Otherwise, we will only
be asking for legal identification from applicants who are finalists.
Unfortunately, English language fluency is a must. While we hope to get as
much linguistic diversity as possible, Trust & Safety’s case files are
lengthy documents written in complex English, and expedience and current
availability of resourcing does not make it possible to provide
translations for the interim process.
The CRC serves an important role in collaborations between Trust & Safety
staff and volunteers to help make sure we get the balance right in
protecting communities - both in supporting community members and
recognizing community autonomy.
*Please submit your application by the end of February 25, 2022.*
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety/Case_Review_Committee/Call…
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/May_…
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety/Case_Review_Committee/Char…
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Trust_and_Safety/Case_Review_Committee/Mont…
--
Brian Choo
Facilitator for the Interim Trust & Safety Case Review Committee
Wikimedia Foundation