[$] Fedora considers conflict-of-interest policy

The Fedora Council is contemplating implementing a conflict-of-interest (COI) policy for its decision-making bodies, including the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee (FESCo) and special-interest groups (SIGs). The policy draft, which does not yet extend to the council itself, was initially discussed on July 23 and is expected to be finalized around August 13.

The initiative for a COI policy stems from a governance issue that occurred approximately 18 months ago, involving the revocation of Peter Robinson's provenpackager status. FESCo had voted to strip Robinson of his status, citing concerns over his continued use of the privileges in an unapproved manner. However, the Fedora Council later overturned the decision and apologized to Robinson. This incident prompted calls for a COI policy to ensure fair and impartial decision-making within the project.

The proposed policy aims to ensure that all decisions impacting a person's participation in Fedora are fair, impartial, and aligned with the project's best interests. It defines a conflict of interest as any situation where an individual's interests or those of an organization they are affiliated with could reasonably influence their ability to make objective decisions on behalf of the Fedora Project.

Conflicts can stem from financial gain, professional advancement, personal relationships, or loyalty to another organization.

While the policy does not automatically disqualify individuals with conflicts of interest from participating in discussions or voting, it requires that such conflicts be declared early in the process. Participants can recuse themselves if a conflict exists or discuss it to determine if their participation is still appropriate. The council would mediate any disputes over conflict of interest.

The proposed policy is open-ended regarding the consequences of conflicts and suggests that remediation steps should be taken on a case-by-case basis.