Vouching

According to the dictionary, to vouch means “to support as being true, certain, reliable” or “to attest; guarantee; certify.” In the political context, to vouch for someone means to state that you believe someone to be committed to the purpose of the group, trustworthy, reliable, and accountable.

“Remember that a vouch is a personal reflection upon you, it is advised to not throw vouches around as it can undermine the safety, trust and cohesion of the group if it is an irresponsible vouch.”

Such “vouches” are important for groups of people working together who may not have previous experience working together, and require a certain level of trust and safety to comfortably and effectively work together. A vouching system allows 1 or more (the more the better) people to use the trust that they’ve earned from the group and extend it to someone they want to bring in. The necessity of vouches varies depending on what it is you are working on. Remember that a vouch is a personal reflection upon you, it is advised to not throw vouches around as it can undermine the safety, trust and cohesion of the group if it is an irresponsible vouch.

A vouch for if someone should be able to access a group’s members, conversations, goals and objectives, should be considered within the context of the objectives and risk of the group. The other members of the group are trusting you to use discerning judgement when providing a vouch.

Some criteria that people have used for vouches include:

having met in person a certain number of times

have worked together on political projects for a certain period of time

knowing a certain number of people who have worked with the person for a certain period of time

knowing someone’s strengths and weakness (personally and politically) and how they act under pressure or in the face of repression

knowing how someone responds to criticism or feedback and how well they hold themselves accountable for their behavior

knowing someone’s extended family, childhood friends, and entire life story (just kidding…maybe…)

Vouches should be given for: people who you know and trust, who you know understands the objectives and degree of security required for the particular group, and who you know participates in solid security culture.

Vouches should not be given simply for “knowing they exist and do work” or “had a good conversation once or twice” though those things are a part of knowing and trusting someone.

The stringency of a vouch will vary based on the sensitivity of the information and the risks that the group is taking. If this is something you have not considered, please read up on security culture.

Whatever criteria or standard you use for vouching people, it is important that it be communicated to everyone in the group ahead of time, and that everyone is on the same page. Vouching is a word that gets thrown around often without elaboration, and people often have different ideas about what it means.