Conflict of Interest & Recusal Policy

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Conflict of Interest & Recusal Policy
Impartial Leadership Decisions
This guide may be updated as GGU policies, procedures, platforms, and organizational needs change.

Public Transparency:
This policy is intentionally published for community transparency. The policy itself is public; credentials, recovery material, private personnel records, security-sensitive evidence, and other protected operational details remain restricted.

 

Conflict

A conflict exists when personal relationships, disputes, financial interests, or direct involvement could reasonably affect impartial judgment.

 

Recusal

Leaders should recuse from abuse reports, personnel decisions, appeals, or investigations where they cannot reasonably be impartial.

 

Escalation

Route the matter to the next appropriate Leader.

 

Scope

This policy applies to GGU members, Leadership, contributors, partners, or systems to the extent they participate in or affect the activity described by this policy.

 

Responsibilities

• Individuals are responsible for complying with the policy within their assigned access and duties.
• Managers are responsible for communicating expectations and correcting known violations within their area.
• Higher Leadership may interpret organization-wide questions, approve exceptions, or impose additional controls where risk requires it.

 

Exceptions

Exceptions should be limited, justified by a legitimate operational need, approved by the appropriate authority, and documented when they materially increase risk or depart from normal practice.

 

Violations

Violations may result in corrective instruction, removal of access, warning, suspension, demotion, removal from Leadership, removal from the community, or other action appropriate to the severity and circumstances.

 

Review & Maintenance

This policy should be reviewed when relevant systems, laws, platforms, organizational structure, or operational practices materially change.

 

Examples of Conflict

• Close personal relationship with a subject of review.
• Active personal dispute.
• Direct involvement in the incident.
• Financial or project interest in the outcome.
• Prior public commitment to a particular result.

 

Recusal Does Not Mean Silence

A recused Leader may still provide relevant factual evidence, but should not control the outcome.

 

Definitions & Interpretation

Where a term is not specifically defined in this policy, it should be interpreted using its ordinary GGU operational meaning and related published guides. When two policies appear to conflict, the more specific policy should generally control for its subject matter unless higher Leadership directs otherwise.

 

Policy Ownership

Each policy should have an identifiable organizational owner responsible for periodic review, proposed updates, and resolving routine interpretation questions. Ownership of the policy does not grant unlimited authority to waive it.

 

Records & Evidence

• Keep records that are reasonably necessary to demonstrate approvals, access changes, disciplinary actions, incidents, or exceptions.
• Store sensitive records in appropriately restricted locations.
• Do not create unnecessary collections of personal information.
• Do not alter or delete records to conceal mistakes or avoid review.
• Where an action is logged automatically, preserve the relevant log rather than duplicating it manually without need.

 

Good-Faith Reporting

Members and Leaders should be able to report suspected policy violations in good faith without retaliation. Knowingly false reports, fabricated evidence, or malicious misuse of reporting processes may themselves be addressed as misconduct.

 

Policy Changes

Material policy changes should be communicated to affected people. Changes that alter access, enforcement, or Leadership obligations should include enough explanation for people to understand what changed and when the new expectation applies.

 

GGU Leadership Hierarchy

The general organization-wide Leadership hierarchy is:

• Community Leader — highest community leadership layer and organization-wide oversight.
• Operations Leader — day-to-day organization-wide operations and direct oversight of Senior Managers.
• Senior Manager — oversees Managers and broader operational areas.
• Manager — directly manages an individual Team or Department.
• Staff — game-server Leadership supporting Managers and Moderators.
• Moderator — routine game-server moderation and enforcement.

Escalation:
For organization-wide escalation, the normal path is Moderator → Staff → Manager → Senior Manager → Operations Leader → Community Leader. Not every issue must pass through every level.

 

Current Leadership Assignments

Current role holders are maintained on the GGU Ranks & Roster page. This policy governs the role regardless of who currently holds it.

 

Policy protects the community when expectations are clear before problems happen.