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), 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: 1. 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