Invalidating and/or Revoking Grants due to Self-Voting (CoE Addendum)

by 0x5b5cc427c1d81db4f94de4d51d85ce122d63e244 (Fehz)

Linked Pre-Proposal

Should self-voting in grants result in their invalidation or revocation?

Summary

This proposal suggests the implementation of measures to ensure integrity and fairness in the grant proposal process, advocating for the invalidation of grant proposals submitted by authors or requestors voting for themselves.

Abstract

To maintain fairness and integrity, it is essential to address potential conflicts of interest, particularly regarding grant proposals. By outlining a short procedure and enforcement measures to be adopted by the Revocations Committee, the DAO will oversee the invalidation or revocation of grants where self-voting occurs.

Motivation

Self-voting introduces bias and undermines the principles of fairness that should govern the allocation of resources in a decentralized environment. Furthermore, it can lead to the misallocation of funds, hindering the progress of legitimate projects and moreover, damaging trust within the community. Therefore, it becomes imperative to establish mechanisms to prevent and address self-voting in grant proposals to uphold the integrity of the Decentraland DAO and protect the treasury.

Specification

• A “Conflicts of Interest” section will be added to the existing FORMAL REQUEST TO RAISE DECENTRALAND GRANTS CONCERNS FORM. All complaints should be submitted this way.

• For the invalidation of grant proposals submitted by authors or requestors voting for themselves, measures should be taken considering the following scenarios:

  • If a community member votes for their own grant request while the voting process is ongoing, the Revocations Committee will promptly notify the DAO Committee of the situation.
  • If the grant proposal successfully passes the voting stage, the Revocations Committee will instruct the DAO Committee not to execute or establish the vesting contract associated with the grant.
  • In the exceptional circumstance that a grant has already passed and the vesting contract is active, immediate action must be taken to pause and revoke the grant.

• Add self-voting as a violation to the CoE with corresponding sanctions/enforcement measures.

Conclusion

Adopting a procedure to stop self-voting is a first step towards tackling conflicts of interests within the DAO, and a concrete measure to protect the treasury and the funds allocated to the grants program, promoting higher standards of fairness, transparency and accountability among community members.

This proposal is summarized due to technical limitations. To view it complete and vote on it, visit the DCL DAO Governance dApp