Frontmatter
hsp: 013
title: NEAR House of Stake Code of Conduct
description: Establishes standards for behavior within House of Stake
author: Hack Humanity
discussions-to: https://gov.near.org/t/hsp-013-near-house-of-stake-code-of-conduct/42050
status: Review
track: Decision
type: Simple majority
category: Legitimacy & Engagement
stakeholders: See section "Stakeholders"
created: 2026-02-16
requires: No dependencies
Abstract
Proposal for Version: v1.0
Audience: NEAR Community
Archive: Version 0.1.0
This proposal adopts the Code of Conduct v1.0 for NEAR House of Stake.
The Code of Conduct establishes standards for behavior within NEAR House of Stake. It defines expected and prohibited conduct, reporting and enforcement pathways, moderation standards, and an internal appeals mechanism applicable to governance-related activity.
The expected outcome of ratifying this Code of Conduct is a predictable, transparent, and proportionate framework for behavioral accountability that protects governance, Stakeholder safety, and legitimate participation across House of Stake activities.
Payload
NEAR House of Stake Code of Conduct
NEAR House of Stake Code of Conduct
Article 1. Purpose and Scope
1.1 This Code of Conduct establishes the standards of behavior expected of all Stakeholders in the NEAR House of Stake.
1.2 The objectives of this Code are to promote a safe, respectful, and effective governance environment, to protect the integrity and legitimacy of governance processes, and to support the long-term interests of the NEAR ecosystem.
1.3 This Code applies to all Stakeholders when engaging in activities related to NEAR House of Stake, including participating in onchain and off-chain governance, and community-related events, whether virtually or in person.
1.4 This Code is a governance and Stakeholder standards document. It does not create legal rights or obligations and operates subject to the NEAR House of Stake constitutional framework and applicable legal documents.
Article 2. Expected Conduct for All Stakeholders
2.1 All Stakeholders are expected to act in good faith and with honest intent when engaging in NEAR House of Stake activities. They should:
2.1.2 Treat others with professionalism, dignity, and respect, including during disagreement or dispute.
2.1.3 Engage constructively in governance discussions and decision-making processes.
2.1.4 Communicate clearly, responsibly, and without intent to mislead.
2.1.5 Respect the privacy, safety, and personal boundaries of others.
2.1.6 Follow established governance processes and respect finalized governance outcomes.
2.1.7 Avoid behavior that undermines trust, safety, or the integrity of governance.
2.1.8 Disclose conflicts of interest following the assessment outlined in the Conflict of Interest Policy.
Article 3. Additional Expectations for Governance-Related Roles
3.1 Governance Body Members, Endorsed Delegates, Moderators, HSP Authors and other governance-related roles are held to a higher standard due to their influence and responsibilities within the NEAR House of Stake. They shall:
3.1.2 Exercise due care and diligence when advising, voting, or allocating resources.
3.1.3 Disclose conflicts of interest fully, accurately, and in a timely manner, in accordance with the Conflict of Interest Policy.
3.1.4 Represent their authority, mandate, endorsement status, or decision-making power according to Foundation Legal Documents and House of Stake Constitutional Documents.
3.1.5 Provide clear and honest rationales for governance decisions where reasonably expected.
3.1.6 Act as stewards of the long-term interests of the NEAR ecosystem.
3.1.7 Use privileged access, information, or influence responsibly and in good faith.
3.1.8 Process Stakeholder feedback without ad hominem criteria, meaning feedback is taken by what is being communicated, and not by who is communicating it.
Article 4. Prohibited Conduct
4.1 Harassment, bullying, intimidation, or threats.
4.2 Discriminatory or hateful conduct based on protected characteristics like gender, race, nationality, or religion, including synthetic media harassment.
4.3 Impersonation or misrepresentation of identity, authority, or affiliation.
4.4 Vote-buying, bribery, coercion, or covert influence over governance outcomes.
4.5 Doxxing, privacy invasion, or unauthorized disclosure of personal or sensitive information publicly.
4.6 Spam, brigading, shilling, disinformation, or deliberate sabotage of governance processes.
4.7 Retaliation against individuals who, in good faith, raise concerns or report potential prohibited conduct.
4.8 Knowingly false, malicious, or bad-faith reports, including attempts to weaponize this Code to harass or silence others, may themselves constitute prohibited conduct.
Article 5. Reporting and Enforcement
5.1 Platform Moderators are the first enforcers of this Code.
5.2 NEAR Foundation, NEAR House of Stake Foundation, or the Head of Governance may appoint Moderators, as part of progressive decentralization towards full autonomy of NEAR House of Stake. They may also remove them by applying the principles of Removal for Cause, as provided in the Constitution.
5.3 Any participant who experiences or witnesses a potential prohibited conduct in relation to this Code of Conduct is encouraged to use the platform-specific flagging systems or report it through the code of conduct complaint form in the House of Stake documentation. No other reporting mechanisms are considered valid.
5.4 Reports shall be made in good faith and, where reasonably possible, include relevant context or supporting evidence.
5.5 This Code may be addressed through proportionate and reasonable enforcement actions intended to protect Stakeholder safety and governance integrity.
5.6 Enforcement actions may include warnings, requests for corrective action, temporary restrictions, suspensions, or removal from roles or governance participation.
5.7 Onchain actions may be irreversible, and remedies cannot fully counteract the effects of immutable or third-party systems.
Article 6. Appeals Process
6.1 To escalate conflicting situations for review, a temporary and case-limited Appeals Panel may be created by the Head of Governance to resolve disputes.
6.2 Appeals shall be submitted within the next 14 days of the appealed event, for a decision to be expected 30 days after the case is reported to the complaint form in the NEAR House of Stake Documentation.
6.3 Decisions from the appeals process are final for internal governance coordination purposes only and do not limit or override any rights, obligations, or Dispute Resolution Mechanisms that exist under the Foundation Legal Documents or applicable law.
Article 7. Moderation and Enforcement Standards
7.1 Due Diligence
7.1.1 Impartiality: case Moderators must disclose no conflicts of interest.
7.1.2 Cultural and linguistic competence: include Moderators who understand the parties’ context.
7.1.3 Documentation: maintain secure records, a clear evidence trail, and access controls.
7.1.4 Timeliness: target resolution within 14 calendar days; document and communicate extensions.
7.1.5 AI oversight: AI-powered tools may assist with triage or pattern detection; humans make final decisions.
7.1.6 Evidence standards: use verifiable records (e.g., logs, messages, transactions) and note limitations.
7.2 Authority Limitations
7.2.1 Moderators shall act based on available information and exercise judgment solely within the scope of this Code of Conduct.
7.2.2 This Code of Conduct shall be interpreted and applied with proportionality, fairness, and common sense. Any enforcement of this code shall be exercised in good faith, prioritizing Stakeholder safety and governance integrity.
7.2.3 To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, neither the NEAR House of Stake Foundation, the NEAR House of Stake, Moderators, Appeals Panel members, nor any Governance Body shall be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, reputational, or economic loss arising from participation in, reliance upon, or enforcement of this Code of Conduct, including any good-faith act or omission.
END OF THE NEAR HOUSE OF STAKE CODE OF CONDUCT
Context
NEAR House of Stake operates under a governance framework composed of binding Foundation Legal Documents and Constitutional Documents adopted by Tokenholders.
The previous Code of Conduct HSP-005 was rejected by the Screening Committee because it proposed the creation of an “appeals panel”. The HSP authors (Hack Humanity) received feedback to make changes and resubmit the proposal, removing actions that may incur governance debt. For the nature of changes made, this version is submitted as a new HSP.
This Code of Conduct was co-created through several cycles of feedback from multiple Stakeholder groups -including NEAR Forum Moderators, NEAR Foundation Legal, and core House of Stake members based on the co-created version 0.1.0.
Problem
Without a formally adopted Code of Conduct, standards governing participant behavior, moderation practices, and dispute handling rely on fragmented guidance, interim documentation, or discretionary practice.
As a result, Moderators lack operational guidelines, and governance activities are exposed to ambiguity in behavioral expectations, inconsistent enforcement, contested legitimacy of moderation outcomes, and elevated coordination and reputational risks. These gaps undermine trust, increase friction, and weaken the coherence of the overall governance framework.
Approach
The Code of Conduct operates in compliance with the Foundation Legal Documents and under the authority of the House of Stake Constitution.
The approach taken is to define clear standards and internal coordination mechanisms, while deliberately avoiding legal rights, contractual obligations, fiduciary duties, or due-process entitlements.
The Code of Conduct is designed to be operable within current institutional capacity and to provide a stable baseline that may be amended over time through the Proposals and Voting Procedures as progressive decentralization increases in the House of Stake.
End-to-end Value Hypothesis
On a standalone basis, this proposal delivers full value by establishing a clear, auditable framework for behavioral expectations and internal accountability for participation in the House of Stake.
All essential standards governing conduct, moderation, enforcement, and appeals are specified within the Code of Conduct itself, while authority boundaries, interpretation, and amendment mechanisms are governed by other applicable NEAR House of Stake governance documents, including but not limited to the Constitution and the Proposals and Voting Procedures.
Objective
Establish the ratified Code of Conduct for NEAR House of Stake.
Outcome
Following ratification, two outcomes are expected:
-
Participants in House of Stake engage under a shared, transparent set of behavioral standards that support safe, respectful, and effective governance coordination.
-
Governance bodies and moderators legitimately reference the Code of Conduct, as the participation rules within NEAR House of Stake.
Dependencies
This proposal depends on NEAR House of Stake Constitutional Documents.
It also depends on technical and governance mechanisms already deployed in NEAR.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Not applicable to this proposal.
Technical Specification
No software code, smart contract logic, or protocol-level changes are introduced by this proposal.
Backwards Compatibility
The Code of Conduct does not override or amend the authority of the Foundation’s Legal Documents, explicitly deferring to them in the event of a conflict.
This proposal is compatible with prior interim governance documents.
Security Considerations
No security considerations identified.
Stakeholders
| Activity / Decision | Responsible | Accountable | Consulted | Informed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moderation and enforcement | Moderators | Moderators | Governance bodies | NEAR forum |
| Appeals and internal review | Moderators | Head of Governance | Appeals panel | NEAR forum |
Implementation Plan
Definition of Done of this proposal is achieved when:
- The Code of Conduct’s payload is published in the House of Stake Documentation.
- The reporting mechanisms stated in this Code of Conduct are set to function, meaning that:
- The code of conduct complaint form is created.
- The form is live in the House of Stake Documentation.
- Moderators have the credentials and know-how to operate the form.
Milestones
Once ratified and published, the Code of Conduct comes into and remains in effect until amended.
Budget & Resources
Not applicable.
Conflict of Interest
The author of this proposal is @HackHumanity, which is contracted by NEAR Foundation including for the implementation of this proposal.
The production of this proposal is consistent with Hack Humanity’s engagement in facilitating the Governance Transition Program. To avoid any potential conflict of interest, Hack Humanity and its team members will either not vote, or vote abstain on this proposal.
Copyright
Copyright and related rights waived via CC0 1.0.
Authorship & Acknowledgment
Authored by: @humbertobesso, @juankbell, @klausbrave, and @danrandow from @HackHumanity.
Review and feedback from: @klausbrave, @AK_HoG, @lane, Bianca Guimaraes (NEAR Foundation Legal), @haenko