NearArc Code of Conduct

Effective date: 20 October 2026 · Last updated: 21 October 2026

NearArc is for meeting people and building professional relationships, online and in real life. This Code of Conduct sets out how everyone is expected to behave, so that NearArc is welcoming, safe and useful for all. It applies to every member and everyone taking part in anything arranged through NearArc, including organisers, speakers, sponsors, recruiters and volunteers. NearArc is a service provided by Zach Jensz (ABN 95 243 396 633), a sole trader based in Victoria, Australia (we, us, our). This Code forms part of our Terms of Use.

At a glance

Be respectful and professional. Treat everyone the way you would want to be treated at work.
No harassment, discrimination or abuse, online or in person, of anyone, for any reason.
"No" means no. If someone asks you to stop, leave them alone, or not photograph them, do so straight away.
Coffee chats are professional meetings, not dates. Meet in public and never pressure anyone.
No spam, scams, fake job offers or impersonation.
It applies everywhere: profiles, messages, posts, communities, online events, in-person events (including in private homes and where alcohol is served) and 1:1 coffee chats.
In an emergency, call 000 (Australia), 111 (New Zealand) or 911 (Canada and the US) first. Then report to us in the app or at safety@neararc.com.
A person reviews every report. Breaking this Code can lead to anything from a warning to a permanent ban, including from future events.

1. Where this Code applies

This Code applies to everything you do on or through NearArc, and to anything NearArc helps arrange. That includes:

Online: profiles, photos, connection requests, 1:1 messages, posts, comments, communities, event pages and online events (including video calls, chats and streams).
In person: events organised by NearArc or by members, wherever they are held. This includes venues, offices, outdoor spaces and private homes, before, during and after the official program, and any related social activity (such as drinks afterwards).
Coffee chats: 1:1 meetups arranged through NearArc, whether you invited the other person or NearArc matched you.
Imported event listings: if you attend an event listed on NearArc that is run elsewhere, the organiser's own code of conduct also applies. We may still act under this Code about behaviour by NearArc members connected to that event.

We may also act on behaviour outside NearArc where it is directed at, or creates a real risk to, NearArc members or events. For example, if someone harasses a member on another platform after meeting them at a NearArc event.

2. Our commitment

We want NearArc to be a place where everyone can take part, meet people and grow their career without fear of harassment or discrimination. That includes people of any:

age;
disability, including physical, sensory, intellectual, psychosocial and neurodivergent conditions, and chronic illness;
race, colour, descent, ethnicity, nationality, national origin, immigration or visa status;
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Māori, First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Native American or other Indigenous identity;
sex, sex characteristics (including intersex variations), gender, gender identity and gender expression;
sexual orientation;
relationship or marital status, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and family or carer responsibilities;
religion, belief or lack of belief;
political opinion (expressed respectfully);
physical appearance, body size or health status;
language, accent or English proficiency;
socioeconomic background, education, employment status or career stage;
level of experience, and choice of technology, tools or programming language.

This list is not exhaustive. Being different from other people is never a reason to exclude, mock or target someone.

3. Expected behaviour

Everyone on NearArc is expected to:

Be respectful. Disagree about ideas, not people. Assume good intent, and ask before assuming.
Be professional. Behave as you would at a workplace event or business meeting.
Be honest. Represent yourself, your employer, your role and your intentions accurately.
Respect boundaries. Accept a "no", a non-response or a request to stop the first time. Ask before touching anyone. Even a handshake or hug is optional.
Respect privacy. Don't share other people's information, messages or photos without their consent.
Be inclusive. Make room for others in conversations. Avoid jokes and language that demean groups of people, and avoid assuming everyone shares your background.
Look out for each other. If you see something that isn't right, check in with the person affected, tell an organiser, or report it to us. Only step in if it is safe to do so.
Follow directions from organisers, venue staff and NearArc about this Code.

4. Unacceptable behaviour

The following are not allowed anywhere this Code applies. The examples are not exhaustive. We will consider the effect on the person affected, not only the intent behind the behaviour.

Behaviour	Includes, for example
Harassment and abuse	Insults, threats, intimidation, bullying, deliberately misgendering someone or using a name they've asked you not to, and repeatedly contacting someone who hasn't responded or has asked you to stop.
Discrimination	Excluding, demeaning or treating someone less favourably because of any characteristic listed in section 2, including through comments, "jokes", slurs or imagery.
Unwelcome sexual attention	Sexual comments, advances, propositions, sexualised images or language, unwanted touching, and sending intimate images. Sexual content is not appropriate in profiles, messages, posts, talks or event materials.
Stalking and following	Following someone around an event, waiting for them, following them home or to their transport, tracking their location, turning up uninvited where they work or live, or using NearArc to keep track of someone who has blocked or avoided you.
Unwanted photography and recording	Photographing or recording someone who has asked not to be photographed or recorded, photographing someone in a way that is intrusive or sexualised, and recording private conversations without consent where the law requires it.
Sustained disruption	Repeatedly interrupting talks, events, online sessions or community discussions, flooding chats, or derailing conversations.
Doxxing	Sharing someone's personal information, such as their home address, phone number, workplace details, private photos or real identity, without their consent.
Sharing private messages	Posting or forwarding someone's private messages, or screenshots of them, without their consent. Sharing them with NearArc in a report, with police, or with a lawyer or adviser is allowed.
Impersonation and deception	Pretending to be another person, employer, organiser or NearArc, using a fake name or photo to mislead, or misrepresenting your role, qualifications or intentions.
Spam and unsolicited sales pitches	Bulk or repetitive messages or connection requests, unsolicited sales, investment or "opportunity" pitches, multi-level marketing recruitment, and using coffee chats or events as a sales funnel without the other person's agreement.
Scams and fake job offers	Fake jobs, recruiters or events; asking for money, fees, gift cards, crypto, ID documents or banking details; phishing; and any other attempt to defraud people.
Coercion and pressure	Pressuring anyone to drink, meet privately, share personal information, buy something, accept a job, or do anything they don't want to do. Using a position of power, such as being a recruiter, organiser, speaker or senior professional, to pressure someone.
Intoxication causing harm	Being so affected by alcohol or other drugs that you make others unsafe or uncomfortable. Being drunk or high never excuses a breach of this Code.
Retaliation	Threatening, punishing, excluding or harassing anyone because they reported a concern, supported someone who did, or took part in an investigation.
Encouraging others	Encouraging, assisting or organising any of the behaviour above.
Illegal or dangerous conduct	Violence or threats of violence, image-based abuse, content that exploits anyone under 18, and anything else that breaks the law or puts people at risk.

Making a report you know is false, to harm someone, is also a breach of this Code. A report made in good faith that we can't confirm is not.

Photography at events

Events listed on NearArc are public events, so you should expect that you may be photographed. Organisers are encouraged to tell attendees about photography. If you ask someone not to photograph you, they must respect that. If a photo of you is shared on NearArc (photos on event pages are a planned feature) and you'd like it removed or blurred, ask the organiser or email safety@neararc.com. See the Safety Centre for more.

5. Coffee chats

Coffee chats are 1:1 professional meetings: a chance to share advice, learn about someone's work or explore opportunities. When you invite someone, accept an invitation or are matched by NearArc:

Keep it professional. NearArc is not a dating service. Don't use coffee chats to look for romantic or sexual relationships, and don't make advances.
Respect a "no". Anyone can decline, ignore or cancel an invitation, without giving a reason. Don't send repeated invitations or ask why.
Meet in a public place. Don't pressure anyone to meet, or move on, to a private location such as a home, hotel room or car. Suggesting a café, coworking space or similar is the norm.
Let them leave. Either person can end the chat at any time. Don't block their way, follow them or insist on driving them anywhere.
No hidden agendas. Be upfront if you want to talk about a sale, a job or an investment. Don't turn a coffee chat into a pitch the other person didn't agree to.
Keep confidences. Don't share what the other person told you in confidence, or their contact details, without their permission.
No pressure afterwards. If they don't want to stay in touch, accept it.

If something goes wrong, block and report the person. The Safety Centre has practical tips for meeting safely, including telling a friend your plans.

6. Extra expectations for organisers, speakers, sponsors and recruiters

People in these roles have more influence, so we expect more of them. A breach by someone in one of these roles may be treated more seriously.

Organisers

Make sure attendees can find this Code, and tell them how to raise a concern at your event, including who to talk to on the day.
Take concerns seriously. Help the person affected feel safe, which may include contacting venue security or emergency services, or helping them leave safely. Pass reports to NearArc at safety@neararc.com or in the app.
Act on breaches during your event where it's safe to do so, for example by asking someone to stop or to leave.
If you host an event in a private home or serve alcohol, take reasonable steps to keep attendees safe: give clear details in advance, make non-alcoholic drinks available, don't pressure anyone to drink, and don't let visibly intoxicated people cause harm. NearArc doesn't inspect venues or supervise events (see the Event & Organiser Terms).
We encourage you to tell attendees whether photos will be taken and how to opt out, and to respect requests not to be photographed or to have a photo removed.
Use attendee information only as the Event & Organiser Terms and Privacy Policy allow. You may email attendees about the event and about future meetups, but any other marketing needs their explicit opt-in.
Don't retaliate against attendees who raise concerns about you or your event.

Speakers and presenters

Keep talks, slides, demos and live coding free of sexual content, violent imagery, slurs and material that demeans any group. If your topic needs sensitive content, tell the organiser in advance and give the audience a clear content warning.
Respect the audience and other speakers, including in Q&A.
Don't use your talk for unagreed sales pitches.

Sponsors and exhibitors

Sponsors and their staff, booths, giveaways and materials are covered by this Code. Avoid sexualised clothing, imagery or activities.
Don't collect attendee contact details without their clear agreement, and don't treat attendance as consent to marketing. We do not give sponsors attendee names, emails or other personal information for their own marketing (see the Privacy Policy, section 4).
If asked to stop a behaviour, stop immediately.

Recruiters and hiring managers

Be honest about who you represent, the role, its pay range where you know it, and whether it is real and open.
Never ask candidates for money, fees, ID documents or banking details before a genuine offer, and never ask them to move to another chat app to avoid NearArc's protections.
Don't ask about characteristics listed in section 2 where that would be discriminatory or unlawful, and don't make decisions based on them.
Respect "not interested" and don't contact people repeatedly. Recruiting and job application features are planned; this Code applies to recruiting activity on NearArc now and when they launch.

7. How to report

If anyone is in immediate danger, call emergency services first: 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand, 911 in Canada and the United States. NearArc can't send help.

Then, or for anything that isn't an emergency, tell us:

In the app: in your conversation with the person, use Report from the conversation menu, or on one of their messages. You can also block them from that menu.
By email: safety@neararc.com. Use this for anything in the app without a Report button (such as a profile, community or event), if you can't sign in, aren't a member, or the concern is about behaviour outside the app.
At an event: tell the organiser or a volunteer, and also report to us so we can act across NearArc.
Bugs: if a safety tool such as block or a privacy setting isn't working, use the in-app bug report form as well.

You can report something that happened to someone else. Include what you can: who was involved (a profile link is best), what happened, when and where, and any screenshots. Please keep the original messages; don't delete them before you report. Reports made late, including well after an event, are still useful.

You don't have to confront anyone, and you don't have to report to police to report to us. The Safety Centre lists support services in each country.

8. What happens after a report

A person reviews it. While NearArc is in alpha, reports are reviewed by Zach Jensz. Automated tools may help sort reports, but they don't make the decision: a person reviews the report and decides what action to take (see the Privacy Policy, section 3).
We respond as soon as practicable. We prioritise threats to safety, sexual misconduct, intimate images and anything involving people under 18. We don't promise a fixed number of hours, but we meet any timeframe the law sets. For example, under Australia's Online Safety Act 2021, we must generally comply with an eSafety Commissioner removal notice within 24 hours. The Safety Centre explains this further.
We look into it. We may ask you, the other person or witnesses for more information, and look at the relevant content, including messages (see the Privacy Policy, section 3). We may restrict an account or remove content while we look into a report, if we think that's needed to keep people safe.
We decide what to do and let you know when we've finished. To protect everyone's privacy, we may not be able to tell you exactly what action we took.

Confidentiality

We keep reports confidential to the extent possible. We don't tell the reported person who reported them, though the details may sometimes make it obvious; if we think that's likely, we'll talk to you before we act. We may share information with organisers where needed to keep an event safe, and with police or other authorities where the law requires it or where it's necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety. See the Privacy Policy and Government Request Guidelines.

Consequences

We decide what's appropriate based on how serious the behaviour was, its effect on others, whether it was repeated, and any risk of future harm. We don't have to go through each step in order. A single serious incident can lead straight to a permanent ban.

Step	What it means
No action, or a reminder	We may decide no breach occurred, or remind someone of this Code. You can still block anyone at any time.
Warning	A written warning explaining the breach, sometimes with conditions, such as not contacting a particular person.
Content removal	Removing content, including profiles, photos, messages, events or listings, that breaks this Code.
Feature limits	Restricting features, such as messaging, coffee chats or organising events, or removing an organiser role or a claimed listing.
Temporary suspension	Suspending an account for a set period, which may include not attending NearArc events.
Permanent ban	Closing an account permanently, banning the person from future NearArc events and communities, and taking steps to stop them re-joining.
Referral to police	Where behaviour may be a crime or someone is at serious risk, we may report it to police or other authorities, and we will cooperate with lawful requests.

At an in-person event, organisers may also ask someone to leave, refuse them entry, or contact venue security or police. Paid events are planned; when they launch, a person removed for breaching this Code may not be entitled to a refund, except where consumer law gives a right to one. The Event & Organiser Terms will cover this.

9. Appeals

If we take action against your account or content and you think we got it wrong, you can ask us to review the decision. Reply to our decision message, or email support@neararc.com with "Appeal" in the subject line, ideally within 60 days (see the Terms of Use). Tell us why you think the decision was wrong and include anything we may not have seen.

A person will look at the decision again, including any new information, and tell you the outcome. If you reported someone and disagree with our decision not to act, you can ask for a review the same way. While NearArc is in alpha, the same person may handle the original decision and the appeal; we will say so honestly and consider the appeal afresh. Appealing doesn't affect any right you have to complain to a regulator, such as the eSafety Commissioner in Australia.

10. How this Code fits with our other documents

Terms of Use: this Code forms part of the Terms of Use. Breaching it is a breach of the Terms of Use.
Event & Organiser Terms: extra rules for organisers and events, including private homes, alcohol and (planned) paid events.
Safety Centre: practical safety advice, support services in each country, and more detail on reporting and what we do.
Privacy Policy: how we handle information, including reports and messages we review.
Government Request Guidelines: how we respond to police and government requests.

If this Code and the Terms of Use conflict, the Terms of Use apply. Nothing in this Code limits your rights under the law, or your right to go to police or a regulator.

We may update this Code as NearArc changes. We will publish the current version on neararc.com with its effective date and, for material changes, give reasonable notice before they take effect, such as by email or a notice in NearArc.

11. Credits

This Code draws on the work of many community organisers. Parts are adapted from:

Google Developer Groups Event Code of Conduct & Anti-Harassment Policy (template), used by GDG chapters including GDG Melbourne. Dedicated to the public domain under CC0. https://support.google.com/developergroups/answer/3340512
Geek Feminism wiki "Conference anti-harassment/Policy", created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers. Dedicated to the public domain under CC0. https://geekfeminism.fandom.com/wiki/Conference_anti-harassment/Policy
Contributor Covenant, version 2.1, by Coraline Ada Ehmke and contributors, including its Community Impact Guidelines (inspired by Mozilla's code of conduct enforcement ladder), available at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct/ and licensed under CC BY 4.0. Our consequences in section 8 are adapted from it.

We also learned from the DDD Melbourne Code of Conduct (https://dddmelbourne.com/code-of-conduct). No text was copied from it.

This Code of Conduct is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). Other communities are welcome to adapt it, with attribution to NearArc and to the sources above.

12. Contact us

For safety reports and concerns about members or events:

Zach Jensz, responsible officer for safety Zach Jensz · ABN 95 243 396 633 · Victoria, Australia · neararc.com Safety: safety@neararc.com Appeals and general support: support@neararc.com