Join the Kraken Workers Space
We host an independent community for current and former Kraken Tech workers on our dedicated, self-hosted chat service at chat.krakenworkers.net, powered by Fluxer (a free and open-source Discord alternative that we host ourselves).
A Space for Kraken Staff & Alumni
This sovereign space is run by and for workers on self-hosted, open-source infrastructure. We use a role-based verification system so everyone can chat openly and connect with confidence. Both current staff and alumni are warmly welcome, with a couple of easy ways to get verified.
Quick Privacy Tips
Before hopping into the chat, here are three recommended practices to help keep your personal life separate from work systems.
1. Use Personal Devices
Please connect using your personal computer or phone, rather than work-issued laptops or corporate networks.
2. Use an Email Alias (Optional)
Fluxer requires an email for account authentication. Personal emails are fine, but you can also register using an email masking service (such as SimpleLogin, DuckDuckGo, or iCloud Hide My Email) if you prefer extra privacy.
3. Choose a Display Name
When joining Fluxer, you do not have to use your actual name. You are warmly encouraged to use a pseudonymous display name or handle to keep your participation private and comfortable.
Getting Verified
Choose the method that matches how you joined. Once verified, your account is granted full access to the server channels.
Invited by a Verified Member
If an existing member gave you their personal invite link:
- Join the server via your inviter's link (which places you in the #welcome-and-verify channel).
- Message your inviter on your usual private chat (Signal, personal messaging, etc.).
- Ask your inviter to drop a vouch message in the internal #vouches channel (or DM an agent directly for privacy) with:
- Your Fluxer @handle
- Context on who you are (e.g. current team/discipline, alumni status, how long you've worked together)
- Once reviewed, your Verified Member role is granted.
See Step 3 below for inviter logging and accountability rules.
Joined via Public Link
If you joined via the public new member link or haven't been vouched for yet, complete a quick manual verification. All emails sent to verify@krakenworkers.net are held under extremely controlled view and are deleted once membership is granted:
Current Workers
Email verify@krakenworkers.net with subject: Verification: [Your Fluxer Handle]
Provide either of the following verification methods:
- Slack Profile Photo: Send a photo of your screen open to your current Slack profile with a physical handwritten note on paper showing your Fluxer handle and today's date (with “Set a status” or any “Edit” buttons visible). (See visual guide in Step 3).
- Union Membership: Pass us the membership number for you associated with one of the unions on our homepage and we can verify with them directly.
Alumni & Former Staff
Email verify@krakenworkers.net with subject: Alumni Verification: [Your Fluxer Handle]
Send redacted proof of prior employment (such as a physical badge, redacted separation letter, P45, or link to your LinkedIn profile).
Send Alumni VerificationPublic queue verifications are handled manually by agents. Please allow 24–48 hours.
Guidelines & Server Trust
Detailed guidance on submitting valid photo proof and understanding our web-of-trust accountability.
Current Staff Photo Verification
When verifying as current staff via Slack photo, follow these requirements to ensure prompt approval:
- Slack Profile Screen: Open Slack to your personal profile screen. The screen must show your name/title and at least one editing option (such as the Set a status button or any Edit button) to verify that the profile belongs to you.
- Physical Handwritten Note: Place a physical note on paper (like a sticky note) on or next to your screen with your Fluxer handle and today's date clearly handwritten. Digital markup or overlaid text is not accepted.
- Redaction Permitted: You may redact or crop personal avatars, Slack sidebar direct messages, and unrelated background apps.
Disclaimer: This example image was created with the use of generative AI. The use of generative AI in your submitted verification image will dismiss your attempt to join.
Vouching & Accountability
We run member access like a private web-of-trust with invite trees and direct personal accountability:
Logged Inviters
When a new colleague or alumnus is verified via referral, the inviter's handle is permanently logged in their profile notes. This tracks verified invite trees throughout the server.
Direct Accountability
Members are directly accountable for the people they vouch for. Please only invite colleagues you personally know and trust. Vouching for bad-faith accounts or management access impacts your own membership standing.
Trust Threshold
If you are not personally familiar with someone or do not know them well enough to stake your standing on them, they can easily verify via the public email queue instead.
Agent Discretion: If your inviter prefers not to post in internal public channels, they can DM an agent directly with your handle and context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Details on our technology choices, server governance, and network structure.
To be completely clear: the Kraken Workers Network is not a union. We are a conglomeration of organizing people who currently work or have worked previously at Kraken Tech. While our network has a strong union facet and works in close coordination with established industry unions, we are an autonomous grassroots collective dedicated to worker solidarity, mutual aid, and workplace democracy.
All verified members (current staff and alumni) have full access to general community channels to talk, share experiences, and support one another.
As part of our work, we will also be checking in with our associated unions to ensure that members are still paying members of their relevant local industry union to keep their specific channel membership. If someone is no longer an active paying member, they are downgraded to a generic Fluxer role—allowing them to continue talking to other members in general community spaces without being part of union-specific organizing conversations.
We chose Fluxer because it is a free and open-source software (FOSS) platform that we host completely on our own infrastructure:
- Fully Open Source & Auditable: Because Fluxer is completely open source, anyone can inspect the code to verify its security and privacy, or spin up their own independent instance. There are no black-box proprietary algorithms or hidden analytics.
- Resilient Against Corporate Takedowns: Commercial platforms (like Slack or Discord) can arbitrarily suspend communities or take down channels when facing corporate legal threats or malicious vendor reporting. Hosting our own sovereign instance ensures we cannot be deplatformed or silenced from the outside.
- Data Sovereignty: Having a sovereign, self-hosted service ensures that your data, metadata, and our community conversations never go anywhere outside of our own direct control.