[License-discuss] Nepotism, Conflict of interest: Debian GSoC/Outreachy/OSI board

Mon Jul 22 15:31:55 UTC 2019

The preceding message is off-topic for this list and I'm closing the thread
and referring the matter to the Board.

S.

On Mon, Jul 22, 2019 at 8:17 AM Mollamby via License-discuss <
license-discuss at lists.opensource.org> wrote:

> OSI board president had massive conflict of interest,
> you were all fooled
>
> People have been arriving to DebConf trying to pick apart the
> recent concerns.  The version of events commented officially and
> the Regrets email published by Sam Hartman is very disparaging
> to some people while other people seem to evade any responsibility.
>
> Here are some facts that have emerged through debian-private and
> discussions at DebConf that some of us feel very uncomfortable
> about.  We are posting anonymously because Sam Hartman's report is
> too biased and we don't want to be subject to the next
> Anti Harassment humiliations for questioning the DPL.
>
> There is a growing perception that Debian and other associated
> groups have become too incestuous.  For everybody else, it means
> we don't know who we can trust.
>
> Fact 1: Mollamby
> ----------------
>
> A clandestine relationship that existed between the Debian Project
> Leader (DPL), Chris Lamb and his subordinate, Molly de Blanc,
> the head of the Outreach team who is also a member of the controversial
> Anti-Harassment team.  Mollamby.
>
> Clandestine relationships are not automatically wrong.  It is
> the surrounding facts that make this both scandalous and worthy
> of the same scrutiny and media coverage forcefully imposed on
> other Debian Developers.  Mollamby.
>
> Fact 2: a GSoC conflict of interest
> -----------------------------------
>
> A student applying to GSCoC informed about his relationship
> with another member of the community.  The other community
> member is named in a delegation by former DPL Chris Lamb.  Neither
> the student nor the other community member are under
> suspicion:  Both declared the relationship up front.
>
> There were over 100 student applications to GSoC 2018 and only 20%
> were selected.  It has not been stated whether the student
> in this case was one of those selected.
>
> Fact 3: mentors acted responsibily
> ----------------------------------
>
> A member of the Outreach team, not a party to the conflict of
> interest, reminded other team members about the conflict of
> interest in the April 2018 selection meeting.
>
> Fact 4: no policy
> -----------------
>
> Debian has no conflict of interest policy.
>
> There was nothing for the GSoC admins or mentors to refer to.
>
> Fact 5: vested interests
> ------------------------
>
> Debian's list of delegations, equivalent to managers or office-holders
> in other organizations, doesn't reveal employment details or any other
> clues about vested interests and conflicts of interest.
>
> Fact 6: Molly de Blanc signed off on it
> ---------------------------------------
>
> In reply to Fact 3, Molly de Blanc acknowledged and signed off on
> the conflict of interest.  Her commented has been shared widely
> on a blog:
>
> <mollydb> nice responsibile decision making
> <mollydb> thanks for being so consciencious
>
> Fact 7: Google complained
> -------------------------
>
> July 2018, Google's head of GSoC, Stephanie Taylor, made a
> written complaint about conflicts of interest in Debian.
>
> Fact 8: Mollamby investigated themselves
> ----------------------------------------
>
> Mollamby investigated the complaint.  This was clearly
> inappropriate.  How could Molly de Blanc investigate a complaint
> against something she signed off on?  How could Chris Lamb, as Debian
> Project Leader, investigate a complaint against a team where
> his love interest was a prime suspect?
>
> It would have been possible for them to recuse themselves
> without declaring the fact there was a relationship.  They could simply
> state that because Google was disputing conflicts of interest, they
> need help from somebody neutral and not involved in day-to-day
> Debian, like a past DPL.
>
> Even in the absence of a relationship, Molly de Blanc never should
> have been part of the investigation anyway.
>
> Mollamby investigating themselves.  Mollamby.
>
> Fact 9: opportunistic scapegoating
> ----------------------------------
>
> Mollamby used another team member as a scapegoat.  The same team
> member who reminded everybody about the conflict of interest
> during the selections.
>
> Fact 10: inters/students suffer
> -------------------------------
>
> Before conducting any investigation, Google sent aggressive and highly
> demotivating communications to some students.  It appears Mollamby rushed
> Google into this shoot-first-ask-questions-later response.
>
> Fact 11: Google rushed into decision then backflip
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> After making enquiries with the entire admin team Google had to
> backflip and completely retract their action against students.  Mollamby
> had rushed Google into an awkward situation that had to be rolled back.
> Mollamby.
>
> Fact 12: interns complained about Molly de Blanc
> ------------------------------------------------
>
> August 2018, an astute intern made a complaint about Molly de Blanc
> not doing any real work, it has already been shared in various places,
> including debian-project.
>
> Other community members had made similar observations but none had
> ever dared to say it.
>
> Fact 13: previous mentor summit procedure
> -----------------------------------------
>
> In previous GSoC rounds before 2018, the two places to attend the
> mentor summit were always awarded randomly to any two mentors, with
> a preference for mentors who never visited the summit before.
>
> Fact 14: privileges for the admins
> ----------------------------------
>
> For 2018, Molly de Blanc suggested that one of those two places
> should be reserved for an admin.
>
> Fact 15: Molly de Blanc got the free trip
> -----------------------------------------
>
> Molly de Blanc, as admin, attended the GSoC mentor summit in
> October 2018 and only one other mentor received a place.
>
> Fact 16: Molly de Blanc as AH insider
> -------------------------------------
>
> Molly de Blanc formally joins the Anti-Harassment team.  The name
> of the team is misleading.  Its real purpose appears to involve
> preventing people asking inconvenient questions to the project
> leaders: in other words, de Blanc participating in a vigilante group
> to prevent people holding her boyfriend, the Debian Project Leader,
> to account.  de Blanc was privvy to any complaints against her boyfriend
> and also privvy to potential complaints or discussions about
> his political rivals.
>
> Fact 17: DAMs rushed into decisions, just like Google
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
> The Debian Account Managers are rushed into removing two Debian
> Developers from the Debian keyring.  It is the same pattern as the
> way Google was rushed into punishing students.  Mollamby.
>
> Fact 18: another intern complains
> ---------------------------------
>
> A mentor received a complaint from an intern about somebody
> in the Anti-harassment team.  The mentor was unable to do anything
> due to fear and mistrust of the leadership.
>
> The complaint hasn't been leaked yet, hold on to your seats.
>
> Fact 19: DPL's girlfriend pronounced Developer
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> Molly de Blanc, girlfriend of the Debian Project Leader, is
> controversiallly promoted to become a Debian Developer.
> She has not created any packages and she had been subject
> to various complaints during 2018.
>
> Fact 20: scapegoat abused
> -------------------------
>
> At almost the same time, the Developer who highlighted the conflict
> of interest is removed from the Debian keyring, threatened and
> insulted in various ways, starting from September 2018, long
> before anything overflowed into the public domain.
>
> Fact 21: Google pay offs
> ------------------------
>
> Debian receives large payments of cash from Google on dates overlapping
> with punishments.
>
> Fact 22: Payments from Google obfuscated
> ----------------------------------------
>
> Details about the largest payment are hidden or obfuscated in
> official communications.
>
> Fact 23: censorship
> -------------------
>
> It is alleged that an email to the debian-project mailing list asking
> about the Google payments and pressure has been censored.
>
> Fact 24: DPL gives delegation to girlfriend
> -------------------------------------------
>
> In his last act as Debian Project Leader, Chris Lamb writes a
> delegation formally appointing his girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend
> at this point), now a Debian Developer, to the Outreach team.
>
> Fact 25: Open Source Initiative (OSI) board kept in the dark
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Mollamby serve together on the OSI board.  They never informed other
> board members or the organizations they are affiliated with (FSF and
> Debian respectively) about their conflict of interest.  Molly de Blanc has
> become OSI board president in 2019.
>
> Fact 26: DPL budget control
> ---------------------------
>
> Chris Lamb, as Debian Project Leader, had discretion to approve
> his own travel expenses using Debian funds.
>
> Fact 27: subsidised long-distance relationship costs
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> Molly de Blanc resides in the US while Chris Lamb resides in the UK.
> This was a long distance relationship.  They would meet each other at
> events where their travel was paid by free software organizations.
>
> Fact 28: spreading defamation
> -----------------------------
>
> Mollamby have both circulated defamatory and politically motivated
> allegations against other members of the community.
>
> Molly de Blanc's FOSDEM 2019 talk explicitly boasts about a whisphering
> network, this appears to be a call-to-gossip.
>
> Fact 29: misleading denial by DPL
> ---------------------------------
>
> When Chris Lamb was publicly asked about the defamatory allegations
> he circulated, it appears that he has lied by denying it in an
> email to debian-project the week before Christmas.
>
> Evidence that Lamb really did send the offensive email was subsequently
> posted on a blog.
>
> This very public and dishonest denial makes a serious dent in Lamb's
> integrity.  As he was the DPL, dishonesty like this dents Debian's
> reputation too.
>
> Fact 30: Molly de Blanc breaks up with FSF and Lamby
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
> Molly de Blanc's FSF employment terminates at about the same time that
> Mollamby break up.
>
> She writes a blog about the breakup.
>
> Fact 31: revolving doors
> ------------------------
>
> Despite the circumstances, Molly de Blanc immediately begins working
> for another former Debian Project Leader, now at GNOME.
>
> Fact 32: fake sorries
> ---------------------
>
> An email sent to debian-project on 8 July 2019, "Regrets Handling
> Conduct Concerns Earlier this Year", from the new DPL, Sam Hartman,
> appears to try and put blame back on the developers who spoke up.
>
> It feels like a pretend sorry or conditional sorry email.
>
> This persistent blaming and conditional sorries from leaders
> reeks of high arrogance, it is harmful to the victims and it is
> perpetuating the problems.
>
> Most ordinary people can recognize the difference between a pretend
> sorry and a sincere sorry even if they don't know the people or
> the facts.
>
> It is obviously, deceptively and repetitively trying to deflect
> responsibility to other parties and distract from the elephant in
> the room, Mollamby, so it is hardly an apology at all, it feels more
> like a political statement.
>
> Fact 33: new DPL acknowledged conflicts of interest existed, hides names
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The same email referred to in Fact 32 confirms there were
> conflicts of interest in the second abusive keyring change too.
> Both abusive keyring changes were therefore compromised by
> Mollamby and other hidden relationships.
>
> But the names of the culprits are hidden.  They have immunity.
>
> Fact 34: malicious intent and DPL's vendetta
> --------------------------------------------
>
> At the same time that a developer was removed from the keyring,
> Chris Lamb immediately sent messages out to other organizations
> to harm the developer's reputation.  Many independent people
> see this as an aggravated and politically motivated breach of
> a private decison by Debian Account Managers.  Lamb's indulgence
> in doing this appears to be a major reason the issues exploded into
> public discussion and drag other Developers into the mess.
>
>
> This is all a textbook example of nepotism.
>
> Mollamby
>
>
> Sent with ProtonMail Secure Email.
>
>
>
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>
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>

-- 
Simon Phipps*, Board Secretary, The Open Source Initiative*
+44 238 098 7027 or +1 415 683 7660 : www.opensource.org
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