Roles & Publication Modes

Last modified by Robert Schaub on 2026/02/08 08:27

Roles & Publication Modes

Version: 0.9.70
Last Updated: December 21, 2025
Status: CORRECTED - Automation Philosophy Consistent

This page defines user roles and publication modes in FactHarbor.

1. User Roles

1.1 Contributors

Who: Community members who suggest system improvements

Responsibilities:

Participate in sampling audits (analyze patterns, not individual outputs)
Suggest algorithm/prompt improvements based on findings
Document systematic issues observed
Contribute to system improvement discussions

Can:

Edit published content (changes apply immediately, Wikipedia-style)
Flag quality issues (for sampling audit)
Earn reputation through contributions
Participate in RFC (Request for Comments) processes

Cannot:

Approve content before publication
Override quality gates
Act as gatekeepers
Manually fix individual AI outputs

Note: Contributors improve THE SYSTEM, not individual outputs.

1.2 Trusted Contributors

Who: Contributors with proven track record and domain expertise

Responsibilities:

Same as Contributors, plus:
Review complex algorithm changes
Provide domain expertise on contested claims
Mentor new contributors

Can:

Everything Contributors can do, plus:
Participate in higher-level system design decisions
Review RFC proposals
Access more detailed system metrics

Cannot:

Approve content before publication
Override quality gates
Act as gatekeepers

Important: "Trusted" refers to judgment quality, NOT approval authority.

1.3 Moderators

Who: Team members focused on community health and abuse prevention

Responsibilities:

Handle abuse, spam, and harassment
Enforce community guidelines
Respond to user reports
Manage bans and appeals

Can:

Hide abusive content
Ban users for policy violations
Review appeals
Escalate serious issues to Governing Team

Cannot:

Approve content for publication
Review content quality before publication
Override quality gates for content
Act as editorial gatekeepers

Critical Distinction:
```
Moderators handle: ABUSE (spam, harassment, violations)
Moderators DO NOT handle: CONTENT QUALITY (that's automated)
```

1.4 Domain Trusted Contributors (Optional, Task-Specific)

Who: Subject matter specialists invited for specific high-stakes disputes

Not a permanent role: Contacted externally when needed for contested claims in their domain

When used:

Medical claims with life/safety implications
Legal interpretations with significant impact
Scientific claims with high controversy
Technical claims requiring specialized knowledge

Process:

Moderator identifies need for expert input
Contact expert externally (don't require them to be users)
Trusted Contributor provides written opinion with sources
Opinion added to claim record
Trusted Contributor acknowledged in claim

Important: This is CONSULTATION, not APPROVAL. Their opinion is added to the evidence, not used as a gate.

User Needs served: UN-16 (Expert validation status)

2. Publication Modes

Fulfills: UN-1 (Trust indicators), UN-16 (Review status transparency)

FactHarbor uses TWO publication modes (not three). Focus is on transparency and confidence scoring, not gatekeeping.

2.1 Mode 1: Draft-Only

Status: Not visible to public

When Used:

Quality gates failed
Confidence below threshold
Structural integrity issues
Insufficient evidence

What Happens:

Content remains private
System logs failure reasons
Prompts/algorithms improved based on patterns
Content may be re-processed after improvements

NOT "pending human approval" - it's blocked because it doesn't meet automated quality standards.

2.2 Mode 2: AI-Generated (Public)

Status: Published and visible to all users

When Used:

Quality gates passed
Confidence ≥ threshold
Meets structural requirements
Sufficient evidence found

Includes:

Confidence score displayed (0-100%)
Risk tier badge (A/B/C)
Quality indicators
Clear "AI-Generated" labeling
Sampling audit status

Labels by Risk Tier:

Tier A (High Risk): "⚠️ AI-Generated - High Impact Topic - Seek Professional Advice"
Tier B (Medium Risk): "🤖 AI-Generated - May Contain Errors"
Tier C (Low Risk): "🤖 AI-Generated"

User Contributions:

User edits apply immediately (Wikipedia model)
All changes logged and versioned
May be selected for sampling audit
Reputation earned for quality contributions

REMOVED: Mode 3

V0.9.50 Decision: No centralized approval workflow.

Rationale:

Defeats automation purpose
Creates bottleneck
Inconsistent quality
Not scalable

What Replaced It:

Better quality gates
Sampling audits for system improvement
Transparent confidence scoring
Risk-based warnings

3. Content States

3.1 Published

Status: Visible to all users

Includes:

AI-generated analyses (default state after passing gates)
User-contributed content
Edited/improved content

Quality Indicators (displayed with content):

Confidence Score: 0-100% (AI's confidence in analysis)
Source Quality Score: 0-100% (based on source track record)
Controversy Flag: If high dispute/edit activity
Completeness Score: % of expected fields filled
Last Updated: Date of most recent change
Edit Count: Number of revisions
Review Status: AI-generated / Enhanced by contributors

Automatic Warnings:

Confidence < 60%: "Low confidence - use caution"
Source quality < 40%: "Sources may be unreliable"
High controversy: "Disputed - multiple interpretations exist"
Medical/Legal/Safety domain: "Seek professional advice"

User Needs served: UN-1 (Trust score), UN-9 (Methodology transparency), ~UN-15 (Evolution timeline - Deferred)~, UN-16 (Review status)

3.2 Hidden

Status: Not visible to regular users (only to moderators)

Reasons:

Spam or advertising
Personal attacks or harassment
Illegal content
Privacy violations
Deliberate misinformation (verified)
Abuse or harmful content

Process:

Automated detection flags for moderator review
Moderator confirms and hides
Original author notified with reason
Can appeal to board if disputes moderator decision

Note: Content is hidden, not deleted (for audit trail)

4. Role Evolution Path

Contributor Journey:

Visitor – Explores platform, reads documentation, may raise questions
2. New Contributor – Submits first improvements (typo fixes, small clarifications, new issues)
3. Contributor – Contributes regularly and follows project conventions
4. Trusted Contributor – Has a track record of high-quality work and reliable judgment
5. Auditor – Participates in sampling audits (pattern analysis)
6. Moderator – Focuses on behavior, tone, and conflict moderation (not content quality)
7. Domain Expert (optional) – Offers domain expertise without changing governance authority

Key Principle: Low barrier to entry, transparent criteria for advancement, clear separation between content quality (automated) and behavior moderation (human).

5. Principles

Low barrier to entry for new contributors
Transparent criteria for gaining and losing responsibilities
Clear separation between content quality (automated) and behavioral moderation (human)
Documented processes for escalation and appeal
No gatekeeping for content publication
Immediate application of contributions (Wikipedia model)

6. Related Pages

AKEL - AI system
Workflows - Process workflows
Architecture - System architecture
Decision Processes - Governance
Requirements - All requirements

V0.9.70 CHANGES:

REMOVED:
- All references to "Mode 3" publication
- "Contributors validate quality gates"
- "Trusted Contributors validate outputs"
- "Moderators finalize publication"

CLARIFIED:
- Contributors suggest system improvements (not approve outputs)
- Moderators handle abuse only (not content quality)
- Trusted Contributors provide consultation (not validation)
- Domain experts provide opinions (not approval)
- Only 2 publication modes (AI-Generated / Draft-Only)

ADDED:
- Clear role boundaries
- Explicit "cannot" lists for each role
- Publication mode details
- Content state specifications