The point of CppCon is to learn and connect with colleagues. The Standard C++ Foundation Board is committed to ensuring that you can participate in an environment that is welcoming and safe. The CppCon Code of Conduct covers the handling of all reports of misconduct at or around a CppCon event. We have additionally developed the safety policy posted here for cases where we learn of serious misconduct by CppCon participants even in the past and/or outside CppCon. We want to be transparent about the serious issue we are handling, which caused us to create this safety policy.

In the run-up to CppCon 2021, the Board learned that a frequent participant at CppCon had been convicted of a serious felony 10 years ago. This crime did not occur at a CppCon event, or to our knowledge in the C++ community, and we are not aware of any other report of any other offense by this person. We recognized that the individual’s participation at CppCon events could make other attendees feel unsafe, we investigated and considered this carefully, and on September 17 the Board voted to immediately remove the individual from all conference organizational roles and ban them from speaking at CppCon 2021 including canceling their already-accepted talks. They were permitted to attend as an ordinary attendee, including participating in open content available to ordinary attendees, until such time as we could establish a long-term policy. After CppCon 2021, the Board commissioned reviews of the case and its handling by an outside independent inclusiveness consultant and by an outside independent law firm, and we have developed the above-linked safety policy in case we encounter this unprecedented situation again. The individual will not attend CppCon for as long as their presence would be broadly disruptive to the conference.

We take all reports of misconduct seriously, even if it does not occur at CppCon but could affect CppCon attendees. Our goal is to prioritize attendee safety in a way that recognizes the importance of your physical and psychological safety. We are committed to providing a safe and productive learning environment at CppCon.

— Board of Directors, Standard C++ Foundation