Title: Policy for using ASF Slack
license: https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

**note**: Consult [Slack for ASF projects](slack.html) for details on using Slack.

## Expectations
As with all ASF activities, we expect ASF Members and project participants to conduct themselves on Slack according to the ASF Code of Conduct.

We expect channel participants to be respectful and supportive of other participants, and to make contributions that add to the conversation, rather than blurring it. If a participant makes contributions that are disrespectful, offensive, or contrary in other ways to The Apache Way, please report them to Infra.

## Limitations to private Slack channels for projects
Projects should **only** create and use _private_ Slack channels to discuss security matters and similarly-sensitive issues. All other project-related (and community-building) discussions should be in non-private channels.

**Only ASF Members and project committers** should have access to a project's private channels, and non-committeers **should not** be invited to take part in discussions on such channels, unless there is some urgent reason their participation is essential.

## Limitations to direct-message discussions
There is a pattern of project members using direct messages with multiple participants to discuss project-related matters. Any decision that participants reach in such a discussion about the project or its products **must** be documented in the appropriate email thread for the project.
