A message from the Samvera Community Helpers

[Hannah Frost]

Dear Samvera community members, 

Over the past several months, some members of the Samvera community have been the target of an ongoing campaign of online harassment by people outside of the community. In some cases, the perpetrators are using the names and images of our Samvera colleagues to create fake social media accounts for posting false and inflammatory information. In other cases, the perpetrators are sending anonymous, threatening messages directly to the subjects of these attacks as well as to members of their families. In one instance, a harasser created false accounts on Samvera’s Slack with the stated intention of spreading inflammatory information there as well. 

It is important to be clear about key facts about this situation:

• The sources of this harassment are entirely from outside of Samvera;
• The people receiving these attacks are not being targeted specifically because they are members of the Samvera community.

As the Samvera Anti-Harassment Policy states, “Samvera is dedicated to providing a harassment-free community experience for everyone...we do not tolerate harassment in any form.”

Steps have been taken to remove the fake accounts as they come up, and measures are in place to guard against unverified users with malicious intent joining our community’s Slack space. Our awesome Community Manager, Heather, and we Helpers will continue to monitor our shared spaces to prevent further harm by these offenders.

Our commitment to fostering a safe and positive community space where diversity is celebrated and collaboration and creativity can thrive is as strong as ever. So while our individual and collective ability to prevent ongoing harassment of our fellow Samverans out on the public web is limited, we want to remind you -- each and every one of you -- that you are welcome in Samvera, you are seen, and your safety is a top priority.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions or feedback. Also, if you see something suspicious, contact hel...@samvera.org.

Signed,

The Samvera Community Helpers

—

Hannah Frost | Assistant Director for Digital Services

Stanford Libraries | Digital Library Systems and Services

Lathrop Library 384

E: hfr...@stanford.edu | C: (650) 799-1352 

Pronouns: she/her