ETH-011
Hard constraint
layer: content_system
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.
Why the rule exists
Bias can propagate through examples and automated rules.
Condition
The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.
- content.identity_based_unsupported_inference eq true
Facts this rule reads
| Path | Source |
|---|---|
content.identity_based_unsupported_inference |
You supply it |
Then
- remove — target
content.unsupported_inference - audit — target
content_system.downstream_rules
Else
- retain — target
current_text, No triggering condition is present.
LAKA
- Smallest sufficient intervention
- Yes
- Primary axes
Sources
-
Google Developer Documentation Style Guide — Google
link
Clear, consistent, audience-directed technical documentation. -
Microsoft Writing Style Guide — Microsoft
link
Warm, clear, concise, helpful technical communication. -
Technical Communication — Mike Markel; Stuart A. Selber
Audience, design, ethics, research, and technical genres.
The raw rule record
Verbatim from 18-ethics-and-claims-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/ETH-011.
{
"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"
]
}
}
Other ethics rules
- 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