Right to Reject#
Conferences, or more specifically, the PC chairs have the right to reject papers on ethical grounds. This decision is typically made in agreement with reviewers and, where applicable, the Research Ethics Committees.
In practice, this right is used very rarely. Rejecting a paper purely for ethical reasons is generally considered a last resort. As an example, at USENIX Security 2022, the conference rejected only two of the submissions based on ethical concerns1.
In some situations, chairs may choose an alternative approach by accepting the paper with a public statement. that outlines the ethical concerns and justifies the decision to publish despite them.