Special statement on freedom of mobility

ACM SIGCOMM Statement on Freedom of Movement
 
ACM SIGCOMM is an international society composed of scholars, professionals, and students from around the world. We value and require freedom of expression and freedom of movement to pursue our work, contribute to the open exchange of ideas, and advance knowledge. We oppose any actions that serve to exclude any member of our community by limiting their freedom of movement.
 
The United States executive order of January 27, 2017 acts as a barrier to the free movement of ACM SIGCOMM community members. Hence, we fully support ACM’s statement of "Concern About New [United States] Executive Order Suspending Visas." We are exploring several approaches to mitigate the consequences of this order, including accepting video presentations and/or remote presentations.
 
We understand that some members of the SIGCOMM community do not wish to travel to the USA to express their moral disapproval of the current circumstances. Nevertheless, we strongly encourage participation. This is because we believe that conferences promote the free exchange of ideas and international collaboration. Non-participation weakens the very idea we seek to promote.
 
Finally, we recognize that years of effort go into organizing even the smallest of events. We will be mindful of this as we suggest ideas or propose alternatives to overcome barriers to mobility.
 
Please feel free to send your comments or suggestions to any member of the SIGCOMM Executive Committee or the Chair (keshav@uwaterloo.ca)
 
 
The SIGCOMM Executive Committee
Feb 2, 2017