Identification of New Applicants to ProgCode

[stephenscapelliti]

Required Information

Description

A process to define the requirements for personal identification of prospective ProgCode members.
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Problem

The current ProgCode registration form allows new members to remain anonymous. This was created when ProgCode was an informal group and anonymity posed little-to-no risk to the group. Since submitting an application for non-profit status, ProgCode is obligated under state and federal law to account to the IRS for actions of ProgCode Members as those actions relate to ProgCode's non-profit tax-exempt status. ProgCode also may be liable to persons harmed by a wrongful act of ProgCode members. ProgCode also must be accountable for the interactions of its members with the public. For these reasons, the ProgCode community should consider whether to require some means of identifying its members.

As an inclusive, non-hierarchical community sensitive to the needs of its members, ProgCode must balance these new legal requirements with the need to protect members of targeted populations (i.e., activists or government employees) who wish to contribute to ProgCode's mission.

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Benefit

Changing the registration form process will enable ProgCode to accommodate the legitimate privacy needs of its members and new members. It also will enable ProgCode to fulfill its obligations to state and federal agencies, thereby protecting the ProgCode community at-large.
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Plan

1. Adopt a new member registration form process which accomplishes the following:

• Allows anyone with a bona fide reason to register for membership under an alias.
• Requests that the registrant provide some verifiable means of vetting or otherwise verifying the credentials of the individual, either in the registration form or through personal contact with a ProgCode staff member.
• Provides that information regarding the registrant shall be treated with the same degree of confidentiality as that regarding all other members.
• Revises the registration form to state that the registrant’s real name is “required information”, provides a space for an optional alias, and includes an option to request a video or phone conference interview with staff to discuss the registrant's need for anonymity.
• Authorizes the staff to revise the registration form periodically, in response to actual experience with registrants, in order to fulfill the purpose and spirit of this pilot initiative.
• Add a question to the registration form which says, "How did you hear about us? Name of ProgCode member who referred you _____."
• Add a privacy statement at the top of the registration form which explains we need to be able to find the registrant’s online footprint and that the information they provide is confidential and not shared with the membership at large. Explain that, while we do our best to secure the personal information that’s provided to ProgCode, our efforts are only as secure as the software we use and we are not responsible for breaches beyond our control (or something to that effect. Stephen will know the right release of liability language).
• Create a working group of people with some expertise in the area of information security to explore whether there is some way we can secure or save Airtable in an encrypted manner. Ultimately, whatever Slack Alternative we choose should have a means of storing registration data, project listings, member onboarding records, bookkeeping records, meeting notes, etc., on a secure server.

2. Reflect the rule in the ProgCode Community Guidelines/Wiki.
3. Implement the foregoing by a community vote.

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Decision Making

Consent to implement.
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Optional Information

Reference link(s)

Current application
Community Guidelines
Update Volunteer Registration Form #123

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[PamelaJohn]

One probably minor change that would feel more consistent with ProgCode's open and transparent culture would be to substitute the term "membership application" with "registration form" throughout. An applications process denotes, in my mind, the possibility of exclusion if an applicant or their experience is not up to snuff. Whereas a registration form is a means of providing information suitable to satisfy the norms of the community the registrant wishes to join.

[stephenscapelliti]

In accordance with Pamela's recommendation, all references in the pilot initiative to "application" or "membership application" have been changed to "registration form". Additionally, all references to "applicant" have been changed to "registrant". Note that this was discussed during the Community Operations meeting on 10-23-17, just prior to the vote for consent to implement this pilot initiative.

[PamelaJohn]

2017.10.16 Issue 223 was presented to the Community via Slack #team-announcement & discussed at the Ops Meeting.

2017.10.23 Notice of Consent to Implement Issue 223 was presented to the Community via Slack #team-announcement, was discussed at the Ops Meeting and consent to implement was granted.

[PamelaJohn]

@stephenscapelliti @jpb5013

I think this issue may be almost ready to close. We still need to:

• Create a working group of people with some expertise in the area of information security to explore whether there is some way we can secure or save Airtable in an encrypted manner. Ultimately, whatever Slack Alternative we choose should have a means of storing registration data, project listings, member onboarding records, bookkeeping records, meeting notes, etc., on a secure server.

2. Reflect the rule in the ProgCode Community Guidelines/Wiki.

(I'm not sure what Item 2 above is referencing and whether it was sufficiently covered in Item 1.)