Code of Conduct

Version: 2026-09-23 / 1.0 Effective date: September 23, 2026 Organizer: Divan Report a concern: info@divan.ac

1. Who and what this covers

This Code applies to participants, team leads, mentors, investors, judges, organizers, volunteers, sponsors and other guests in Divan event spaces. It covers the platform, meetings, designated Slack/other channels, mentoring, judging, messages and associated activities. Conduct outside those spaces may be considered when it creates a credible event-related safety, integrity or participation risk.

We welcome different backgrounds, locations, identities, skills and viewpoints. Treat people with respect, criticize ideas rather than people, and give useful feedback. Follow reasonable organizer instructions and accessibility arrangements. Being senior, a sponsor, an investor or an organizer does not excuse misconduct.

2. Respect and safety

Do not engage in harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, bullying, discriminatory abuse, unwanted sexual attention, humiliating comments, doxxing or deliberate exclusion based on protected or personal characteristics. Do not share sexual or graphic material unrelated to a legitimate, appropriately introduced demonstration. Stop unwanted contact when asked.

Do not retaliate against someone for declining a meeting, reporting a concern, providing evidence or participating in a review. A report not ultimately substantiated is not by itself a malicious report. Knowingly fabricated allegations or evidence may be addressed separately.

3. Teamwork and professional boundaries

Be honest about skills, availability, contributions and project status. Give appropriate credit, respect time zones and communicate absences or blockers. Do not pressure members into unpaid commitments, equity transfers, public disclosures or purchases through threats about their event standing.

Team leads coordinate participation; they do not own members' work by default or make personal agreements for them. Resolve contribution/ownership questions in a written team agreement. Do not delete shared work, lock teammates out maliciously or remove attribution to gain advantage. Preserve records and ask admins for help with event access disputes.

Only confirmed-team leads may book mentor sessions and submit team materials. Do not circumvent those controls, forward restricted booking links or impersonate a lead. Respect session times and notify the mentor if you cannot attend. Mentors must not condition ordinary event support on purchases, personal favours or equity.

4. Project integrity and responsible technology

Do not plagiarize, misrepresent pre-existing work as hackathon progress, invent test results or users, falsify funding/traction claims, or conceal material third-party components. AI tools are permitted subject to event instructions and applicable rights; disclose material AI use honestly and verify outputs before presenting them as facts.

Use only code, models, datasets and media you may lawfully use. Respect licence terms and permissions. Do not upload credentials, production secrets, customer records or third-party sensitive data. Use synthetic/de-identified demonstration data when appropriate and explain limitations of prototypes.

No malware, credential theft, unauthorized scanning, denial-of-service activity or attempts to bypass permissions. Security research requires express written authorization for the specific target and scope. If you discover a vulnerability accidentally, stop accessing affected data, preserve minimal safe evidence and report it privately. Do not publish exploitation instructions or private information while a report is being assessed.

5. Privacy, recordings and communications

Use directory and review access only for the event purpose. Do not scrape, export or compile personal information for sales lists, recruitment databases or unrelated profiling. Do not forward private decks, feedback, screenshots or contact details without authorization. Investors must respect the precise team-approved sharing scope.

Do not record meetings, use a recording/transcription bot, or publish someone's image, voice or private messages without organizer authorization and the permissions required from affected people. A public professional profile is not blanket permission to record a mentoring conversation. Necessary evidence may be shared privately with authorized safety personnel or lawful authorities.

Keep meeting links private to their intended audience. No spam, mass unsolicited pitches or repeated unwanted direct messages. Professional introductions should be relevant and respectful; recipients may decline without penalty.

6. Mentoring, judging and conflicts

Mentors give constructive feedback and identify limitations of their advice. Judges assess the announced rubric independently and keep draft reviews confidential. Do not offer or request gifts, favours, payments or other benefits to influence approval, feedback, scores or awards.

Declare direct mentoring, investments, employment/business ties, close personal relationships or other material conflicts before reviewing a team as a judge. A judge must not score a conflicted team. If a conflict emerges later, stop scoring and tell an admin; existing reviews may be excluded with history retained. Having both mentor and investor/judge roles does not remove this restriction.

Do not seek other judges' private scores or use private mentor feedback through judging access. Keep internal review discussions confidential except through authorized release/reporting. Investors must not describe an introduction, profile listing or judge appointment as Divan's endorsement of an investment product or funding promise.

7. Reporting

Send concerns to info@divan.ac. Include what happened, approximate date/time, relevant event/channel, people involved and any safely obtained evidence. Share only what is necessary. You may report without confronting the person first, request confidential handling or ask for review by an organizer who is not involved in the concern. Anonymous reports will be considered, although limited information may constrain action.

This channel is not an emergency service or guaranteed 24-hour response line. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services. You remain free to report suspected unlawful conduct to appropriate authorities.

8. Review and consequences

Divan will assess reports promptly as circumstances allow, restrict evidence to those who need it and make reasonable efforts to protect privacy. Absolute confidentiality cannot be promised where a fair investigation, safety response or legal duty requires disclosure. A person with a conflict must not lead the review of that report.

Actions may include advice, a warning, a no-contact direction, removal of content, temporary access limits, reassignment, exclusion from a session, disqualification or removal from the event. Serious misconduct may lead to future restrictions or lawful referral to authorities. Measures should be proportionate to severity, repetition, evidence and safety needs. Immediate protective action may occur before final findings.

Where safe and practicable, the affected person will receive the substance of the concern and an opportunity to respond. Divan may withhold identifying details to protect others. Decisions and relevant reasons are documented; no retaliatory public shaming is part of the process.

You may request reconsideration through info@divan.ac within seven calendar days of notice where reasonably possible, stating an error, new information or conflict. A person not materially involved in the original decision should review it. This does not limit statutory remedies, impose a court deadline, or suspend urgent safety measures automatically.

9. Accountability

This Code applies equally to organizers and reviewers. Divan may update it prospectively with clear notice; serious conduct may still be addressed under existing safety/legal duties. For questions or accommodation requests, contact info@divan.ac.