Ethics, Truth, and Claim-Safety Rules
Ethics, Truth, and Claim-Safety Rules
The 12 rules in this file
- ETH-001 No known false statement IF a statement is known to be false, THEN correct or remove it ELSE continue to evidence review. Hard constraint
- ETH-002 Evaluate express and implied claims IF wording, visuals, omissions, sequence, or context could imply a material claim, THEN evaluate that implication as well as the literal sentence ELSE retain. Hard constraint
- ETH-003 Evidence exists before objective claim IF an objective material claim will be published, THEN verify a reasonable evidentiary basis existed before dissemination ELSE block the claim. Hard constraint
- ETH-004 Disclose material conditions IF price, outcome, eligibility, risk, timing, endorsement, or availability depends on a material condition, THEN disclose it clearly and near the claim ELSE retain. Hard constraint
- ETH-005 Do not fabricate authority or social proof IF a credential, citation, endorsement, review, testimonial, user count, or case is unverifiable or synthetic without disclosure, THEN remove or accurately label it ELSE retain. Hard constraint
- ETH-006 Do not exploit vulnerability IF the audience is distressed, grieving, cognitively impaired, financially desperate, a child, or otherwise vulnerable, THEN remove coercive pressure and raise clarity, evidence, consent, and review requirements ELSE retain. Hard constraint
- ETH-007 Permission is not pressure IF a reader can legally or practically decline, THEN do not describe refusal as impossible, shameful, disloyal, or dangerous without evidence ELSE state real consequences neutrally. Hard constraint
- ETH-008 Preserve uncertainty in summaries IF source material expresses uncertainty, disagreement, limitation, or conditionality, THEN preserve it in summary ELSE retain. Hard constraint
- ETH-009 Separate persuasion from information when needed IF sponsorship, sales intent, advocacy, or conflict of interest could change reader interpretation, THEN disclose it early and plainly ELSE retain. Context default
- ETH-010 Protect private information IF a draft contains personal, confidential, credential, or security-sensitive information not necessary for the reader’s task, THEN redact or minimize it ELSE retain authorized necessary data. Hard constraint
- ETH-011 No discriminatory default IF examples, labels, or rules assign capability, risk, role, or worth by protected or irrelevant identity, THEN remove the inference and audit downstream rules ELSE retain identity only when relevant and responsibly handled. Hard constraint
- ETH-012 Human review for consequential automation IF generated writing can materially affect rights, safety, health, finances, employment, housing, or legal status, THEN require qualified human review, evidence trace, and appeal or correction path ELSE apply proportionate review. Hard constraint
The file
Served verbatim at /v1/files/ethics-and-claims-rules.
{
"title": "Ethics, Truth, and Claim-Safety Rules",
"version": "1.0.0",
"rule_count": 12,
"rules": [
{
"id": "ETH-001",
"name": "No known false statement",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "sentence",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF a statement is known to be false, THEN correct or remove it ELSE continue to evidence review.",
"when": {
"path": "claim.known_false",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "block_publication",
"target": "claim"
},
{
"action": "correct_or_remove",
"target": "claim"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Truth is a non-negotiable constraint, not a style preference.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-012",
"WEB-013",
"BK-026"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-002",
"name": "Evaluate express and implied claims",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "document",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF wording, visuals, omissions, sequence, or context could imply a material claim, THEN evaluate that implication as well as the literal sentence ELSE retain.",
"when": {
"path": "document.persuasive_or_advertising",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "extract",
"target": "document.claims",
"types": [
"express",
"implied"
]
},
{
"action": "verify",
"target": "document.claims"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "A literally true sentence can still create a deceptive overall impression.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-012",
"WEB-013"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-003",
"name": "Evidence exists before objective claim",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "sentence",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF an objective material claim will be published, THEN verify a reasonable evidentiary basis existed before dissemination ELSE block the claim.",
"when": {
"all": [
{
"path": "claim.type",
"operator": "eq",
"value": "objective"
},
{
"path": "claim.material",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
}
]
},
"then": [
{
"action": "verify",
"target": "claim.prior_substantiation"
},
{
"action": "block_publication",
"target": "claim",
"when": "prior_substantiation_missing"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Post-hoc support does not replace the duty to substantiate an objective claim before publication.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-013"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-004",
"name": "Disclose material conditions",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "section",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF price, outcome, eligibility, risk, timing, endorsement, or availability depends on a material condition, THEN disclose it clearly and near the claim ELSE retain.",
"when": {
"path": "claim.material_condition.exists",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "insert",
"target": "claim.material_condition",
"position": "clear_and_proximate",
"presentation": "noticeable_and_understandable"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "A hidden condition can reverse the practical meaning of an offer.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-012",
"WEB-013"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-005",
"name": "Do not fabricate authority or social proof",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "section",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF a credential, citation, endorsement, review, testimonial, user count, or case is unverifiable or synthetic without disclosure, THEN remove or accurately label it ELSE retain.",
"when": {
"path": "proof.type",
"operator": "in",
"value": [
"credential",
"citation",
"endorsement",
"review",
"testimonial",
"user_count",
"case"
]
},
"then": [
{
"action": "verify",
"target": "proof.provenance"
},
{
"action": "remove_or_disclose",
"target": "proof",
"when": "unverifiable_or_synthetic"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Invented proof exploits trust rather than earning it.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-012",
"BK-035"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-006",
"name": "Do not exploit vulnerability",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "document",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF the audience is distressed, grieving, cognitively impaired, financially desperate, a child, or otherwise vulnerable, THEN remove coercive pressure and raise clarity, evidence, consent, and review requirements ELSE retain.",
"when": {
"path": "audience.vulnerability",
"operator": "in",
"value": [
"distressed",
"grieving",
"cognitively_impaired",
"financially_desperate",
"child",
"dependent"
]
},
"then": [
{
"action": "remove",
"target": "copy.coercive_pressure"
},
{
"action": "raise",
"target": "document.safeguards",
"dimensions": [
"clarity",
"evidence",
"consent",
"human_review"
]
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Persuasion should preserve meaningful choice.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"BK-035",
"WEB-012"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-007",
"name": "Permission is not pressure",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "sentence",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF a reader can legally or practically decline, THEN do not describe refusal as impossible, shameful, disloyal, or dangerous without evidence ELSE state real consequences neutrally.",
"when": {
"path": "reader.choice.exists",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "verify",
"target": "copy.choice_framing",
"forbid": [
"false_impossibility",
"shame",
"false_disloyalty",
"unsupported_danger"
]
},
{
"action": "state",
"target": "copy.real_consequences",
"tone": "neutral"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Choice architecture should not disguise coercion as grammar.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"BK-035"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-008",
"name": "Preserve uncertainty in summaries",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "paragraph",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF source material expresses uncertainty, disagreement, limitation, or conditionality, THEN preserve it in summary ELSE retain.",
"when": {
"path": "source.epistemic_limits.exists",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "align",
"target": "summary.epistemic_limits",
"with": "source.epistemic_limits"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Compression must not turn tentative evidence into certainty.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"BK-026",
"WEB-013"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-009",
"name": "Separate persuasion from information when needed",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "document",
"strength": "context_default",
"human_logic": "IF sponsorship, sales intent, advocacy, or conflict of interest could change reader interpretation, THEN disclose it early and plainly ELSE retain.",
"when": {
"path": "document.material_interest.exists",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "disclose",
"target": "document.material_interest",
"position": "early",
"style": "plain"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Readers need the communicator’s material role to evaluate the message.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-012",
"BK-026"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-010",
"name": "Protect private information",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "document",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF a draft contains personal, confidential, credential, or security-sensitive information not necessary for the reader’s task, THEN redact or minimize it ELSE retain authorized necessary data.",
"when": {
"all": [
{
"path": "document.sensitive_information.exists",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
{
"path": "document.sensitive_information.necessary",
"operator": "eq",
"value": false
}
]
},
"then": [
{
"action": "redact_or_minimize",
"target": "document.sensitive_information"
},
{
"action": "verify",
"target": "document.access_scope"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Useful writing does not require avoidable exposure.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"BK-026"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-011",
"name": "No discriminatory default",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "content_system",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF examples, labels, or rules assign capability, risk, role, or worth by protected or irrelevant identity, THEN remove the inference and audit downstream rules ELSE retain identity only when relevant and responsibly handled.",
"when": {
"path": "content.identity_based_unsupported_inference",
"operator": "eq",
"value": true
},
"then": [
{
"action": "remove",
"target": "content.unsupported_inference"
},
{
"action": "audit",
"target": "content_system.downstream_rules"
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Bias can propagate through examples and automated rules.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"WEB-003",
"WEB-004",
"BK-026"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
},
{
"id": "ETH-012",
"name": "Human review for consequential automation",
"domain": "ethics",
"layer": "content_system",
"strength": "hard_constraint",
"human_logic": "IF generated writing can materially affect rights, safety, health, finances, employment, housing, or legal status, THEN require qualified human review, evidence trace, and appeal or correction path ELSE apply proportionate review.",
"when": {
"path": "generated_content.consequence_domain",
"operator": "in",
"value": [
"rights",
"safety",
"health",
"finance",
"employment",
"housing",
"legal_status"
]
},
"then": [
{
"action": "require",
"target": "generated_content.review",
"include": [
"qualified_human",
"evidence_trace",
"appeal_or_correction_path"
]
}
],
"else": [
{
"action": "retain",
"target": "current_text",
"reason": "No triggering condition is present."
}
],
"unless": [],
"because": "Consequential language systems need accountable judgment and recourse.",
"diagnostics": [],
"examples": {},
"source_ids": [
"BK-026",
"WEB-007"
],
"laka": {
"smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
"primary_axes": [
"scope",
"depth",
"magnitude",
"reversibility"
]
}
}
]
}