Messaging

M3AAWG Conduct Policy

Conduct Policy Updated and Approved by the M3AAWG Board of Directors June 6, 2024. Original policy Approved by the M3AAWG Board of Directors 1-11-2019

1. Overall Policy

The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) is dedicated to making our meetings and business open to all members and guests and to making it a safe place for all. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind. We insist that all participants, attendees and meeting staff always adhere to a civil demeanor. This includes refraining from inappropriate language, comments and behavior, in person or by electronic communications and/or public or semi-public social media.  In accordance with applicable law, M3AAWG prohibits sexual harassment and harassment because of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.

Participants, attendees and staff who are being harassed, intimidated, or are dealing with otherwise improper behavior are encouraged to report it immediately to the M3AAWG Executive Director or other designated Board of Directors officer without fear of repercussion. It is the collective responsibility of everyone to speak up if you witness improper behavior and to report it immediately. You are empowered to politely engage when you or others are treated less than respectful and professional by colleagues.

2. How to get help addressing a violation

   a. Scenario: You feel unsafe

VenueExamples (but not limited to)Action
  • M3AAWG night out
  • Meeting hotel(s)
  • Meeting space
  • M3AAWG related social events
  • Touching or physical contact of any kind that is unwanted
  • Physical or verbal threats of any kind

 
 

  1. Contact local Law Enforcement: In the U.S. dial 911. Outside the U.S. see./health-and-safety
  2. Once you are safe, contact the M3AAWG Executive Director or designated Board Officer to report a Conduct Policy Violation
  3. During the night out, go to the designated Staff table for immediate assistance

   b.  Scenario: You experience or see a Conduct Policy violation that does not require immediate local Law Enforcement assistance

VenueExamples (but not limited to)Action
  • M3AAWG night out
  • Meeting hotel(s)
  • Meeting space
  • M3AAWG related social events
  • M3AAWG calls
  • Electronic communications or social media
  • Sexual harassment or harassment because of race, color, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation
  • Inappropriate language, offensive, insulting or derogatory slurs, comments, remarks or behavior
  • Verbally aggressive, abusive or profane comments
  • Displaying or the electronic transmission of derogatory, lewd, offensive and unwelcomed materials or information

 
 
 

  1. Contact the M3AAWG Executive Director or designated Board Officer to report a Conduct Policy Violation
  2. During the night out, go to the designated Staff table for immediate assistance

 
 
 

3. How to Report a M3AAWG Code of Conduct Policy Violation

   a. Timing: Violation occurs during a M3AAWG meeting

ContactInformation to includeExpectations
  • Names and contact information are provided on the back of the meeting badges and at the registration desk for each meeting. 
  • Call or text Executive Director or designated Board Officer (24x7)
  • Email Executive Director

 
 

  • Name and Company of the violator, if known
  • Date, time and location of the violation
  • What was the violation
  • Other people involved in the incident
  • Any witnesses who would be willing to give a report, if needed
  • Any violations should be reported as soon as possible
  • The Executive Director or Board Officer will speak with you privately or together as appropriate
  • Refrain from discussing the incident with other members while it is under review
  • Violations will be addressed promptly and will include a post incident communication

 
 

    b. Timing: Violation occurs outside one of the three in-person M3AAWG meetings

ContactInformation to includeExpectations
  • Call or text the Executive Director or Designated Board Officer during normal business week / hours (M-F, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm CST)

 
 

  • Name and Company of the violator, if known
  • Date, time and location of the violation
  • What was the violation
  • Other people involved in the incident
  • Any witnesses who would be willing to give a report, if needed
  • Any violations should be reported as soon as possible
  • The Executive Director or designated Board Officer will speak with you privately or together as appropriate
  • Refrain from discussing the incident with other members while it is under review
  • Violations will be addressed promptly and will include a post incident communication

4. Enforcement

Anyone who is found to be in violation of this policy may be  subject to any one or more of  the following remedial actions, depending on the offense:

  • Warning
  • Immediate Removal
  • Meeting Suspension
  • Expulsion
  • Contacting of employer and/or legal authorities

Actions stronger than a warning or immediate removal will be taken at the discretion of the M3AAWG Board of Directors.

M3AAWG reserves the right to remove any participant or attendee at any time for any reason.

5. Social Events

The Conduct Policy also extends outside of the meeting rooms to include all areas of the meeting hotel and social gatherings sponsored by M3AAWG or M3AAWG member organizations.

Member organizations are expected to make sure all their employees and third-party event personnel who attend a social event are aware of and understand our Conduct Policy. All social events should have a designated safe area or designated safe people for addressing violations.  All violations reported at Social Events must be reported to M3AAWG.

Note: You can download this file below.

Nominations Open at M3AAWG for New J.D. Falk Award Honoring Inventive Cyber Security Work

San Francisco, July 18, 2012 – Seeking to throw a little light on those making the Internet a safer experience for all, the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group is now accepting nominations for the first annual J.D. Falk Award, named after the dedicated industry advocate who was instrumental in the growth of M3AAWG and other technical organizations.  The award, developed in conjunction with his employer Return Path, Inc. and his family, celebrates J.D. Falk’s life by honoring a specific achievement that enhances the Internet experience, protects end-users, and embodies his spirit of volunteerism and community building.

Nominees can be individuals or teams in an academic or company environment who have developed a service, created a specification or security mechanism, generated notable research, or produced other work reducing online abuse and improving the Internet.  The award comes with an honorarium provided by Return Path and M3AAWG will sponsor the winning candidate's attendance at the upcoming 26th M3AAWG General Meeting in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 23-25, where the award will be presented.  

“J.D. was a passionate leader and a creative technician who had an ardent sense of humor that came into play when he was facing down obstacles. He had a gift for bringing people together to accomplish difficult tasks. We believe it’s important to instill these qualities in the future of the Internet and are looking to recognize professionals who embody these values,” said Chris Roosenraad, M3AAWG co-chairman for messaging.

Falk chaired several M3AAWG committees, served on its Board of Directors, and was the organization’s document editor. He also was responsible for the feedback loop RFC 6449 and other IETF documents, was a founding director of the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE) and active in other organizations.  At Return Path, a company that provides email data intelligence to reduce spam, Falk was the director of Internet standards and governance.

“The integrity and insight that J.D. brought to Return Path continues to shape our culture and guide our mission. It’s an honor to be able to celebrate his legacy and support progress toward his vision of a more secure online world,” said Matt Blumberg, CEO and chairman of Return Path.

Nominations for the J.D. Falk Award must be submitted by Sept. 6, 2012 at /events/jd-falk-award or from the award link in the Program tab on the M3AAWG site.  While the J.D. Falk Award recognizes a specific accomplishment, the M3AAWG Mary Litynsky Award – also presented annually by the organization – honors lifetime achievement. 

About the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG)

The Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) is where the industry comes together to work against bots, malware, spam, viruses, denial-of-service attacks and other online exploitation. M3AAWG (www.M3AAWG.org) represents more than one billion mailboxes from some of the largest network operators worldwide. It leverages the depth and experience of its global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and new emerging services through technology, collaboration and public policy. It also works to educate global policy makers on the technical and operational issues related to online abuse and messaging. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., M3AAWG is an open forum driven by market needs and supported by major network operators and messaging providers.

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Media Contact: Linda Marcus, APR, +1-714-974-6356, LMarcus@astra.cc, Astra Communications

M3AAWG Board of Directors: AT&T (NYSE: T); Cloudmark, Inc.; Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA); Constant Contact (NASDAQ: CTCT); Cox Communications; Damballa, Inc.; Eloqua; Facebook; France Telecom (NYSE and Euronext: FTE); La Caixa; Message Bus; PayPal; Return Path; Time Warner Cable; Verizon Communications; and Yahoo! Inc.

M3AAWG Full Members: 1&1 Internet AG; Adaptive Mobile Security LTD; Adobe Systems Inc.; AOL; BAE Systems Detica; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Dynamic Network Services Inc.; Email Sender and Provider Coalition; Experian CheetahMail; Genius.com; iContact; Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ NASDAQ: IIJI); MailUp; McAfee Inc.; Message Systems; Mimecast; Proofpoint (everyone.net); Scality; Spamhaus; Sprint; Symantec; and Trend Micro, Inc.

A complete member list is available at /about/roster.

 

MAAWG Evolves into M3 Tackling Messaging, Malware, Mobile; Breaking through “Silo” Thinking, Pushes Industry to Better Cooperation

San Francisco, February 14, 2012 – The online industry generally acknowledges that viruses and malicious code are spread through spam, yet it seems that malware and messaging security professionals rarely collaborate on threats despite the commonality of their work. The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group is pushing the industry to move beyond this “silo” mentality to better protect end-users. It has changed its name to M3AAWG – also known as M3 for Messaging, Malware and Mobile – and is bolstering its internal structure to address the dangerous connection between malware, spam and abuse on emerging mobile platforms.

“A quick online search produces more than 14 million links to references connecting messaging and malware, but in reality abuse professionals in these fields usually work autonomously. This isolation keeps companies in the dark and bestows a ‘divide and conquer’ advantage to the cybercriminals. M3 is the path forward because cooperative efforts among all these experts – messaging abuse, malware and mobile security professionals – is the only way to win this war,” said M3AAWG Chairman Michael O’Reirdan.

As it has since its inception in 2004, M3AAWG will continue to tackle abuse on any messaging platform, from email to texting. But spam is just the symptom and the organization has evolved into a forum for sharing information and techniques to combat malware, the real pathology. While mobile has also played an important role in the organization’s current work, M3AAWG is intensifying its focus on this platform, both internally and through association with other industry groups, before abuse reaches substantial levels and threatens users.

To accomplish these structural changes, M3 appointed experts to assist its working committees in identifying key issues and to champion solutions. As a result, the M3AAWG 24th General Meeting will feature panels on smartphone threats, discussions on how mobile platform abuse affects senders, current malware trends, and a report on following the malware money, among other sessions at the three-day, multi-track event in San Francisco on Feb. 20-23.

“The move to M3 is a wake-up call to the industry. We are extending our hands across the aisle to our colleagues in the malware and mobile fields. The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group is known as a place where the divergent needs and views of the global industry can come together to realize effective, real-world solutions to operational, technical and public policy questions,” O’Reirdan said.

About the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG)

The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) is where the messaging industry comes together to work against spam, malware, denial-of-service attacks and other online exploitation. M3AAWG (www.M3AAWG.org) represents more than one billion mailboxes from some of the largest network operators worldwide. It is the only organization addressing messaging abuse by systematically engaging all aspects of the problem, including technology, industry collaboration and public policy. M3AAWG leverages the depth and experience of its global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and new emerging services, including mobile. It also works to educate global policy makers on the technical and operational issues related to online abuse and messaging. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., MAAWG is an open forum driven by market needs and supported by major network operators and messaging providers.

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Media Contact: Linda Marcus, APR, 714-974-6356, LMarcus@astra.cc, Astra Communications

MAAWG Board of Directors: AOL; AT&T (NYSE: T); Cloudmark, Inc.; Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA); Constant Contact (CTCT); Cox Communications; Damballa, Inc.; Eloqua; Facebook; France Telecom (NYSE and Euronext: FTE); La Caixa; Message Bus; PayPal; Return Path; Time Warner Cable; Verizon Communications; and Yahoo! Inc.

MAAWG Full Members: 1&1 Internet AG; Adaptive Mobile Security LTD; BAE Systems Detica; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Dynamic Network Services Inc.; Email Sender and Provider Coalition; Experian CheetahMail; Genius.com; iContact; Internet Initiative Japan, (IIJ NASDAQ: IIJI); MailUp; McAfee Inc.; Message Systems; Mimecast; MXTools; Proofpoint (everyone.net); Scality; Spamhaus; Sprint; Symantec; and Trend Micro, Inc.

A complete member list is available at /about/roster.