Cloudflare is on a mission to help build a better Internet, and we are committed to doing this with ethics and integrity in everything that we do. This commitment extends beyond our own actions, to third parties acting on our behalf. Cloudflare has the same expectations of ethics and integrity of our suppliers, resellers, and other partners as we do of ourselves.
Our new code of conduct for third parties
We first shared publicly our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics during Cloudflare’s initial public offering in September 2019. All Cloudflare employees take legal training as part of their onboarding process, as well as an annual refresher course, which includes the topics covered in our Code, and they sign an acknowledgement of our Code and related policies as well.
While our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to all directors, officers and employees of Cloudflare, it has not extended to third parties. Today, we are excited to share our Third Party Code of Conduct, specifically formulated with our suppliers, resellers, and other partners in mind. It covers such topics as:
- Human Rights
- Fair Labor
- Environmental Sustainability
- Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption
- Trade Compliance
- Anti-Competition
- Conflicts of Interest
- Data Privacy and Security
- Government Contracting
But why have another Code?
We work with a wide range of third parties in all parts of the world, including countries with a high risk of corruption, potential for political unrest, and also countries that are just not governed by the same laws that we may see as standard in the United States. We wanted a Third Party Code of Conduct that serves as a statement of Cloudflare’s core values and commitments, and a call for third parties who share the same.
The following are just a few examples of how we want to ensure our third parties act with ethics and integrity on our behalf, even when we aren’t watching:
We want to ensure that the servers and other equipment in our supply chain are sourced responsibly, from manufacturers who respect human rights — free of forced or child labor, with environmental sustainability at the forefront.
We want to provide our products and services to customers based on the quality of Cloudflare, not because a third party reseller may bribe a customer to enter into an agreement.
We want to ensure there are no conflicts of interest with our third parties, that might give someone an unfair advantage.
As a government contractor, we want to ensure that we do not have telecommunications or video surveillance equipment, systems, or services from prohibited parties in our supply chain to protect national security interests.
Having a Third Party Code of Conduct is also industry standard. As Cloudflare garners an increasing number of Fortune 500 and other enterprise customers, we find ourselves reviewing and committing to their Third Party Codes of Conduct as well.
How it works
Our Third Party Code of Conduct is not meant to replace our terms of service or other contractual agreements. Rather, it is meant to supplement them, highlighting Cloudflare’s ethical commitments and encouraging our suppliers, resellers, and other partners to commit to the same. We will be cascading this new Code to all existing third parties, and include it at onboarding for all new third parties going forward. A violation of the Code, or any contractual agreements between Cloudflare and our third parties, may result in termination of the relationship.
This Third Party Code of Conduct is only one facet of Cloudflare’s third party due diligence program, and it complements the other work that Cloudflare does in this area. Cloudflare rigorously screens and vets our suppliers and partners at onboarding, and we continue to routinely monitor and audit them over time. We are always looking for ways to communicate with, educate, and learn from our third parties as well.
Join our mission
Are you a supplier, reseller or other partner who shares these values of ethics and integrity? Come work with us and join Cloudflare on its mission to help build a better, more ethical Internet.