DTI Logo Distro Transparency Index (DTI)

DTI Constitution: Fundamental Principles and Guidelines

The Distro Transparency Index (DTI) is founded on the following principles and guidelines:

  1. Commitment to Transparency: The DTI is dedicated to promoting and evaluating transparency in Linux distributions. We hold ourselves to the same high standards of transparency that we evaluate in others.
  2. Objectivity and Impartiality: All evaluations and rankings must be conducted objectively, based on clearly defined criteria. Personal biases or preferences must not influence the assessment process.
  3. Open Methodology: The methodology used for evaluations must be fully disclosed and open to scrutiny. Any changes to the methodology must be publicly announced and justified.
  4. Community Engagement: The DTI encourages and values community input. Feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism from the Linux community will be actively sought and considered.
  5. Regular Updates: The index will be updated regularly to ensure its relevance and accuracy. The frequency of updates will be clearly communicated.
  6. Ethical Data Collection: All data used in evaluations must be collected ethically and legally, primarily from publicly available sources.
  7. Right to Appeal: Distributions have the right to appeal their evaluation if they believe it to be inaccurate. A fair and transparent process for handling appeals will be established.
  8. Non-Discrimination: The DTI will evaluate all Linux distributions equally, regardless of their size, popularity, or commercial backing.
  9. Educational Focus: Beyond rankings, the DTI aims to educate the community about the importance of transparency in open-source projects.
  10. Independence: The DTI will remain independent and not accept sponsorship or funding that could compromise its objectivity.
  11. Continuous Improvement: The DTI commits to continuously improving its methodology and processes based on feedback and evolving best practices in open-source governance.
  12. Respect for Privacy: While promoting transparency, the DTI respects the privacy of individuals involved in Linux distributions and will not seek or publish private information.

These principles form the foundation of the Distro Transparency Index. Any future changes to these fundamental principles must be thoroughly discussed with the community and agreed upon by a consensus of DTI contributors.