Universal Code of Conduct

Open Civic Systems — Policy Document

Organization	Open Civic Systems (OCS) — 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Platform	Factkeeper (factkeeper.org)
Version	1.0
Effective Date	[January 2026]
Last Reviewed	[January 2026]
Approved By	OCS Board of Directors

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1. Purpose & Scope

1.1 Purpose

This Universal Code of Conduct ("Code") establishes the minimum standards of behavior required of all participants on Factkeeper and its constituent Chronicles. It exists to:

• Protect the integrity of historical archives
• Ensure a respectful environment for contributors
• Prevent misuse of the platform for harmful purposes
• Provide clear standards for enforcement

1.2 Scope

This Code applies to:

• All Chronicles hosted on Factkeeper
• All users regardless of role (submitters, reviewers, curators, administrators)
• All content including events, sources, people records, comments, and notes
• All interactions within the platform and related communication channels

Individual Chronicles may customize certain provisions of this Code as described in Section 6.2, but Universal Requirements apply to all Chronicles without exception.

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2. Core Principles

2.1 Historical Integrity

We are stewards of the record, not partisans in the story.

All participants commit to:

• Accuracy over advocacy: Document what happened, not what we wish had happened
• Source fidelity: Represent sources honestly; do not distort meaning through selective quotation
• Transparency about uncertainty: Clearly distinguish established fact from interpretation
• Correction over concealment: When errors are discovered, correct them openly

2.2 Respect for Persons

Every contributor deserves dignity; every subject deserves fairness.

All participants commit to:

• Civil discourse: Disagreements about content are welcome; personal attacks are not
• Good faith assumptions: Assume other contributors are acting honestly until proven otherwise
• Privacy awareness: Distinguish between public figures' official acts and private individuals' lives
• Inclusive participation: Welcome contributors regardless of background, identity, or expertise level

2.3 Institutional Trust

The platform's credibility depends on every Chronicle's conduct.

All participants commit to:

• No coordination of harassment: The platform shall not be used to target individuals for off-platform harassment
• No deceptive practices: Do not create sockpuppet accounts, falsify credentials, or impersonate others
• No commercial exploitation: Archives exist for public benefit, not private profit
• Compliance with law: Operate within applicable laws regarding defamation, privacy, and intellectual property

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3. Prohibited Content

3.1 Absolutely Prohibited

The following content is prohibited on all Chronicles without exception. OCS will remove such content and may terminate accounts without warning:

Category	Definition	Examples
Illegal content	Content that violates applicable law	Child sexual abuse material; content illegal to possess or distribute
Direct incitement to violence	Content that explicitly calls for physical harm against identified individuals or groups	"Someone should shoot [person]"; targeting information combined with calls to action
Doxxing	Publishing private personal information without consent for purposes of harassment	Home addresses, personal phone numbers, family members' identities of private individuals
Coordinated harassment	Using the platform to organize off-platform targeting of individuals	"Everyone email [person] to tell them..."; brigading instructions

3.2 Presumptively Prohibited

The following content is presumptively prohibited but may be permitted in specific contexts with Chronicle Administrator approval and clear editorial justification:

Category	Definition	When Exception May Apply
Graphic violence	Detailed descriptions or imagery of violence	When documenting war crimes, human rights abuses, or events where the violence itself is the historical record
Hate speech	Content that demeans groups based on protected characteristics	When documenting hate speech as a historical phenomenon (with appropriate framing)
Unverified allegations	Serious accusations against individuals without substantiation	When the allegation itself is newsworthy and clearly attributed to a source

3.3 Content Requiring Special Handling

The following content is permitted but requires specific editorial standards:

Category	Required Handling
Allegations of criminal conduct	Must cite credible source; must note if person was charged/convicted or not; must note any denials
Deceased individuals	Apply same standards as living persons; note death date
Minors	Generally exclude unless involvement in public events is itself significant and documented by mainstream sources
Private individuals	Minimize identifying details unless individual is central to the event
Aggregating public records	aggregating publicly available government records (e.g., voter rolls, court docs) does not constitute doxxing, provided it is relevant to a public event.

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4. Behavioral Standards

4.1 Contributor Conduct

All contributors (submitters, reviewers, curators, administrators) shall:

DO:

• Use real names or consistent pseudonyms (no sockpuppets)
• Disclose conflicts of interest (e.g., "I was involved in this event")
• Respond to editorial queries within reasonable timeframes
• Accept good-faith corrections gracefully
• Use the dispute resolution process rather than edit wars

DO NOT:

• Submit content you know to be false
• Claim credentials you do not possess
• Use multiple accounts to circumvent decisions or simulate consensus
• Share login credentials with others
• Access administrative functions for personal benefit

4.2 Editorial Conduct

Reviewers and Curators have elevated responsibilities:

DO:

• Apply standards consistently regardless of political alignment
• Document reasoning for significant editorial decisions
• Recuse yourself from editing events in which you have personal involvement
• Mentor new contributors constructively

DO NOT:

• Selectively enforce standards based on viewpoint
• Use editorial privileges to suppress legitimate content
• Share non-public information about submitters

4.3 Administrative Conduct

Chronicle Administrators and OCS staff have fiduciary responsibilities:

DO:

• Act in the Chronicle's institutional interest, not personal interest
• Maintain transparent governance processes
• Respond to escalated disputes promptly
• Preserve records of significant decisions

DO NOT:

• Unilaterally make decisions requiring supermajority approval
• Use administrative access to surveil users without cause
• Retaliate against users who file complaints
• Commit the Chronicle to positions not authorized by the admin team

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5. Enforcement

5.1 Enforcement Principles

• Proportionality: Responses should match the severity of the violation
• Progressive discipline: For non-egregious violations, warnings precede sanctions
• Consistency: Similar violations receive similar responses
• Documentation: Enforcement actions are recorded in audit logs
• Appeal rights: Users may appeal sanctions through the dispute resolution process

5.2 Enforcement Actions

Level	Action	Typical Use
0	Private warning	First-time minor violation; good-faith error
1	Public warning	Repeat minor violation; pattern of carelessness
2	Temporary restriction	Serious violation; restriction on specific functions (e.g., cannot approve submissions for 30 days)
3	Temporary suspension	Repeated serious violations; account suspended for defined period
4	Permanent ban	Egregious violation or repeated suspensions; removal from Chronicle
5	Platform ban	Violation of Section 3.1 or repeated Chronicle bans; removal from all Chronicles on Factkeeper

5.3 Authority to Enforce

Action Level	Who May Impose
0-2	Any Chronicle Administrator
3	Supermajority of Chronicle Administrators
4	Supermajority of Chronicle Administrators, subject to OCS appeal
5	Subject to OCS Executive Director appeal

5.4 Reporting Violations

Violations may be reported to:

• Chronicle Administrators via the in-platform reporting function
• OCS directly at conduct@opencivicsystems.org for:
  • Violations by Chronicle Administrators
  • Section 3.1 (Absolutely Prohibited) content
  • Cross-Chronicle violations

Reports should include:

• Specific content or behavior at issue (with links/screenshots)
• Which provision of this Code was violated
• Any prior attempts to resolve the issue

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6. Amendments

6.1 Amendment Process

This Code may be amended by:

1. OCS Board resolution with 30-day public comment period
2. Amendments apply to all Chronicles upon adoption
3. Chronicles will be notified of amendments via email and in-platform notice
4. Chronicles have 60 days to come into compliance with new provisions

6.2 Chronicle-Specific Standards

Chronicles may establish additional standards ("Chronicle Policies") that customize or extend this Code.

Universal Requirements (All Chronicles):

Chronicle Policies must not conflict with:

• Section 2 (Core Principles)
• Section 3.1 (Absolutely Prohibited Content)
• Section 5.3 (Authority to Enforce) for platform-level actions

These provisions protect the platform's integrity and are non-negotiable.

Customizable Areas:

Chronicles may establish different approaches to:

• Editorial review processes
• Attribution and anonymity practices
• Role-specific expectations
• Dispute resolution procedures
• Additional content restrictions (more restrictive, not less)

Documentation Requirement:

Chronicle-specific policies must be:

• Documented on the Chronicle's About page
• Submitted to OCS for review
• Applied prospectively (no retroactive enforcement)

OCS reviews Chronicle Policies for consistency with Universal Requirements and may request modifications if a policy undermines the spirit of this Code.

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7. Acceptance

By participating in any Chronicle on Factkeeper, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to abide by this Universal Code of Conduct.

Chronicle Administrators must affirmatively accept this Code during onboarding and affirm continued acceptance annually.

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Appendix A: Definitions

Term	Definition
Chronicle	A distinct archive within Factkeeper, managed by its own administrative team
Contributor	Any person who submits, reviews, curates, or administers content
Public figure	An individual who has achieved prominence in public affairs, politics, entertainment, sports, or similar fields, or who has voluntarily injected themselves into a public controversy
Private individual	An individual who is not a public figure
Supermajority	At least two-thirds of eligible voters, with a minimum of two affirmative votes
Sockpuppet	A secondary account used to deceive others about identity or simulate consensus

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Appendix B: Version History

Version	Date	Summary of Changes
1.0	[January 2026]	Initial adoption

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This document is licensed under CC BY 4.0. You may adapt it for your organization with attribution to Open Civic Systems.