Organisational Model

FactHarbor operates as a Swiss Verein (non-profit association) with a simple, flat structure focused on automation over bureaucracy.

1. Legal Structure

Entity Type: Swiss Verein (Association)
Jurisdiction: Switzerland
Governed By: Swiss Civil Code (Art. 60-79)
Key Characteristics:

• Non-profit purpose
• Member-based governance
• Democratic decision-making
• Limited liability
• Tax-exempt status (if public benefit)

2. Governance Structure

2.1 General Assembly

Composition: All Verein members
Powers:

• Elect Governing Team
• Approve annual budget
• Amend statutes
• Decide on major strategic changes
• Dissolve organization
  Meetings: Annually (+ extraordinary as needed)

2.2 Governing Team

Size: small group
Composition:

• Facilitator (chair)
• Coordinator
• Treasurer
• 0-4 additional team members
  Term: 2 years (renewable)
  Powers:
• Strategic direction
• Budget approval
• Policy decisions
• Hiring/firing key staff
• Represent organization externally
  Meetings: Quarterly (minimum)

2.3 Team Member Roles

Philosophy: Minimal team, automation-first. Team members improve the SYSTEM, not the DATA.
Core Principle: AKEL makes content decisions. Humans monitor system performance and improve algorithms.
Essential Roles:
Technical Coordinator (1 FTE):

• Domain: AKEL performance and infrastructure
• Monitors: Processing speed, error rates, resource utilization, algorithm performance metrics
• Improves: Algorithms, infrastructure optimization, processing efficiency
• Does NOT: Review individual claim verdicts, override AKEL decisions
• Authority: Approve technical changes within domain boundaries
• Decision Method: Autonomous within domain, consent for cross-domain changes
  Community Coordinator (1 FTE):
• Domain: Community health and feedback loop optimization
• Monitors: User feedback patterns, contribution quality trends, community engagement
• Improves: Onboarding processes, documentation, feedback mechanisms, community guidelines
• Does NOT: Moderate individual disputes (AKEL handles), make content decisions
• Authority: Approve community process changes
• Decision Method: Autonomous within domain
  Moderators (part-time):
• Domain: Handle AKEL-flagged escalations and system gaming
• Monitors: Items AKEL marks for human review (abuse, manipulation attempts)
• Improves: Detection algorithms based on observed patterns
• Does NOT: Routine content review, override AKEL verdicts
• Authority: Handle flagged items, propose detection improvements
• Decision Method: Autonomous for flagged items, propose improvements to Technical Coordinator
  Optional Contractors (as needed):
• Developers: Specific feature development
• Data Scientists: Algorithm research and optimization
• Legal Counsel: Compliance and legal review
• Accountant: Annual audits
  Total Core Staff: full-timeE + part-time moderators
  Key Distinction:
• ✅ Team members monitor AGGREGATE metrics and improve SYSTEMS
• ❌ Team members do NOT review individual claims or override AKEL
• ✅ When metrics show problems, fix the ALGORITHM
• ❌ Do NOT manually correct individual outputs

2.3.5 Team Roles Diagram

graph TD
 READER[Reader] --> |Registers| CONTRIBUTOR[Contributor]
 CONTRIBUTOR --> |Earns Reputation| TRUSTED[Trusted Contributor
substantial reputation]
 CONTRIBUTOR --> |Appointed by
Governing Team| MODERATOR[Moderator]
 READER --> |Can| R1[Browse/Search]
 READER --> |Can| R2[Flag Issues]
 READER --> |Can| R3[Submit Claims]
 CONTRIBUTOR --> |Can| C1[Edit Claims]
 CONTRIBUTOR --> |Can| C2[Add Evidence]
 CONTRIBUTOR --> |Can| C3[Improve Content]
 TRUSTED --> |Can| T1[Approve Changes]
 TRUSTED --> |Can| T2[Mentor New Contributors]
 MODERATOR --> |Can| M1[Review Flags]
 MODERATOR --> |Can| M2[Hide Harmful Content]
 MODERATOR --> |Can| M3[Resolve Disputes]
 style READER fill:#e1f5ff
 style CONTRIBUTOR fill:#99ff99
 style TRUSTED fill:#ffff99
 style MODERATOR fill:#ff9999

Simplified flat role structure:

• Reader: Default role, no login required
• Contributor: Registers and earns reputation through contributions
• Trusted Contributor: substantial reputation unlocks additional permissions
• Moderator: Appointed by Governing Team, handles abuse/disputes
  No hierarchy - roles represent responsibility levels, not management structure.

3. Decision-Making

3.1 Routine Operations

Handled by: Technical Coordinator + Community Coordinator
Scope:

• Day-to-day operations
• Content moderation (via moderators)
• Technical maintenance
• Minor policy clarifications
  Transparency: All decisions documented

3.2 Strategic Decisions

Handled by: Governing Team
Scope:

• Budget allocation
• Major feature additions
• Policy changes
• Partnerships
• Hiring
  Process: Majority vote (quorum: 50%+1)

3.3 Major Changes

Handled by: General Assembly
Scope:

• Statute amendments
• Dissolution
• Merger/acquisition
• Major strategic pivots
  Process: 2/3 majority vote

4. User Community Roles

Governance Structure

graph TD
 A[General Assembly] -->|Elects| B[Governing Team 3-7]
 B -->|Oversees| C[Team Members full-time]
 C -->|Technical Coordinator| D[AKEL & Infrastructure]
 C -->|Community Coordinator| E[Moderators part-time]
 E -->|Moderate| F[Content]
 G[Contributors] -->|Create/Edit| F
 H[Readers] -->|View/Flag| F
 G -->|Earn| I[Reputation Points]
 I -->|Unlocks| J[Permissions]
 style A fill:#e1f5ff
 style B fill:#ffe1f5
 style D fill:#fff5e1

Simplified structure: General Assembly → Governing Team → Team Members. Users progress through reputation.

4.1 Readers

Rights:

• Browse content
• Flag issues
• Submit claims
  Responsibilities:
• Respect community standards
• Provide constructive feedback

4.2 Contributors

Reputation system replaces role hierarchy. Earn through quality contributions.
Requirements:

• Register account
• Accept terms of service
• Build reputation through contributions
  Rights:
• Edit claims, evidence, scenarios
• Participate in discussions
• Earn reputation points
  Responsibilities:
• Maintain neutrality
• Cite sources
• Accept feedback graciously

4.3 Moderators

Selection:

• Appointed by Governing Team
• Must have high reputation
• Must have clean track record
  Rights:
• Review flagged content
• Hide harmful content
• Issue warnings/bans
• Resolve disputes
  Responsibilities:
• Impartiality
• Transparency
• Documented decisions
• Timely response
  Oversight:
• Governing Team reviews moderator actions
• Can overturn decisions
• Annual performance review

5. Membership

5.1 Verein Membership

Who can join:

• Anyone supporting FactHarbor's mission
• Age 18+
• Accept statutes
  Membership fee: Symbolic (e.g., CHF 20/year)
  Rights:
• Vote in General Assembly
• Stand for Governing Team election
• Access to member-only information
• Participate in strategic discussions
  Termination:
• Voluntary resignation
• Non-payment of dues (after warning)
• Serious violation of principles
• Decision by General Assembly

5.2 Contributor Status

Separate from membership: Can be contributor without being member
Based on: Activity and reputation
No fees: Open to all

6. Funding Model

6.1 Revenue Sources

Primary:

• Grants from foundations
• Donations from individuals
• Institutional partnerships
  Secondary:
• API access fees (commercial users)
• Data licensing (with open data commitment)
• Training/consulting services
  Prohibited:
• Advertising
• Selling user data
• Pay-for-rating
• Conflicts of interest

6.2 Budget Transparency

Publicly disclosed:

• Annual financial statements
• Major funding sources (>10% of budget)
• Team Members compensation ranges
• Major expenses
  Published: On website, annually

7. Conflict of Interest Policy

7.1 Governing Team Members & Team Members

Must disclose:

• Financial interests
• Employment relationships
• Family connections
• Other potential conflicts
  Must recuse from decisions where conflicted

7.2 Contributors

Prohibited:

• Direct financial stake in claim outcomes
• Paid to promote/attack specific claims
  Required:
• Disclosure of other potential conflicts
• In evaluation history, not in account

8. Accountability Mechanisms

8.1 Internal

• Governing Team oversight of staff
• Regular audits (financial, security)
• Performance metrics published
• Community feedback channels
• Moderator appeal process

8.2 External

• Annual report to members
• Public financial statements
• Independent audits
• Media scrutiny
• Academic research welcome

8.3 Transparency Commitments

• Open source code
• Public data exports
• Documented decisions
• Algorithm transparency
• Quality metrics dashboard

9. Dispute Resolution

9.1 User Disputes

Level 1: Moderator decision
Level 2: Appeal to different moderator
Level 3: Governing Team review (final)
Timeline: Reasonable timeframe

9.2 Team Members/Governing Team Disputes

Internal: Direct discussion
Mediation: If needed, external mediator
Arbitration: If unresolved, Swiss arbitration

9.3 Legal Disputes

Jurisdiction: Swiss courts
Applicable law: Swiss law
Venue: Zürich

10. Succession Planning

10.1 Governing Team Succession

• Staggered terms (not all expire simultaneously)
• Nominating committee identifies candidates
• General Assembly elects
• Transitional handover period

10.2 Team Members Succession

• Key staff document their processes
• Cross-training where possible
• External recruitment if needed
• Contractor support during transitions

10.3 Organizational Continuity

• Documented procedures
• Automated systems reduce key person risk
• Regular backups and documentation
• Emergency response plan

11. Evolution & Adaptation

11.1 Regular Reviews

Annually:

• Structure assessment
• Process improvements
• Policy updates
• Strategic planning
  Periodically:
• Comprehensive review
• Major reforms if needed
• Statutes amendments

11.2 Community Input

• Open RFC (Request for Comments) process
• Public discussion forums
• Surveys and feedback
• Trial periods for major changes

11.3 Emergency Changes

Governing Team can act quickly for:

• Security issues
• Legal compliance
• Critical bugs
• Abuse crises
  Must be ratified by General Assembly at next meeting

12. Related Pages

• Governance
• Legal Framework
• Open Source Model
• Transparency Policy