'Our rules, guidelines and principles'

Empowering Women in Tech — Safely, Respectfully, and Inclusively

Welcome to GirlCode! We’re a global community designed to empower and elevate women and gender minorities in tech. These Community Guidelines help ensure a safe, respectful, inclusive, and legally compliant environment for all members.

By joining and participating in GirlCode spaces (website, forums, job boards, events, social platforms, or messaging groups), you agree to follow these guidelines.

 

🔒 1. Safety & Respect Are Non-Negotiable

We have zero tolerance for any behaviour that threatens the safety, dignity, or wellbeing of our members. This includes:

• Harassment, abuse, or bullying (including stalking, unwanted DMs, threats, or persistent contact)

• Hate speech or discriminatory comments based on gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age, class or neurodiversity

• Sexually explicit, violent, or offensive content

• Doxxing (sharing personal data without consent)

• Trolling or deliberately derailing discussions

💡 UK Legal Note: Under the Online Safety Act, platform moderators have a duty to remove harmful content and prevent repeat offences. Illegal content will be reported where required.

 

🤝 2. Inclusion & Belonging

GirlCode is a space for women and gender minorities in tech, as well as allies who support our mission.

We expect members to:

• Use inclusive language

• Avoid assumptions about people’s identities, pronouns, or backgrounds

• Embrace intersectionality — recognising how overlapping identities affect experience

We welcome constructive dialogue, but never at the expense of someone else’s right to feel safe or valued.

 

🧠 3. Contribute Constructively

Help us keep conversations meaningful, relevant, and community-driven.

Please:

• Stay on-topic within forums or threads

• Avoid self-promotion unless explicitly allowed

• Don’t spam or flood channels with repeated content

• Ask before sharing external links, especially to your own products or events

• Use respectful tone, especially when disagreeing

 

📃 4. Legal Compliance (UK and International)

All community use must comply with:

• The Equality Act 2010

• UK GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018

• Defamation Act 2013

• Online Safety Act 2023 (especially relating to harmful or illegal content)

 

What this means:

• Don’t share someone else's personal data without their explicit permission

• Don’t post defamatory, false, or misleading content

• If reporting misconduct, include only factual information

• Do not record or screenshot private messages or online events without consent

 

🧑‍💻 5. Tech Job Board & Events – Fair Use

For company reps or users posting jobs/events:

• Posts must be accurate, inclusive, and non-discriminatory

• Salary transparency is strongly encouraged

• AI-generated or recruiter-mass listings are not permitted

• Events must align with our values (i.e. no tokenism or exclusion)

We reserve the right to remove job posts or partnerships that fail to meet our community standards.

 

🚨 6. Reporting & Moderation

We take reports seriously and aim to respond within 72 hours.

You can report:

• Posts or messages that break our rules

• Behaviour that makes you or others feel unsafe

• Content that may be illegal or defamatory

How to report: [insert email/reporting form link or platform method]

Our moderation decisions are final, but we’ll always aim to be fair, transparent, and open to feedback. Repeated or severe breaches may result in a ban.

 

💼 7. Representing GirlCode

If you are a GirlCode Ambassador, Partner, or Moderator, you represent our brand and values. You must:

• Act professionally and inclusively

• Avoid conflicts of interest or self-dealing

• Not share internal documents, strategies, or partner details without permission

 

⚖️ 8. Liability & Disclaimer

GirlCode is not responsible for:

• The content or accuracy of user-generated posts

• Interactions or transactions between members outside official platforms

• Third-party links or resources shared by users

We reserve the right to update these guidelines to comply with evolving legal and platform standards.

 

✅ 9. Summary: The GirlCode Way

We are here to empower, not exclude. We collaborate, not compete. We stand for equity, community, and tech for good.

Please help us uphold that spirit. 💛

 

📩 Questions?

Email us at accounts@girlcode.dev or message a moderator in the platform. We’re here to help.

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