Acta

This document specifies object types, schemas, state machines, transition rules, and integrity mechanisms. It is a buildable spec, not a principles document.

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1. Contribution Types

1.1 Question

A request for information. No evidence burden.

Field	Required	Description
body	yes	The question
context	no	Background or motivation
tags	no	Topic tags

Allowed responses: evidence, update, resolution Initial state: open

1.2 Claim

An assertion about reality. Carries an evidence burden.

Field	Required	Description
body	yes	The assertion
category	yes	factual · opinion · hypothesis
source	conditional	Required if category = factual. URL, DOI, or public record reference
reasoning	conditional	Required if category = factual and no source. Falsifiable logical argument
uncertainty	conditional	Required if category = opinion or hypothesis. Explicit statement of confidence and limitations

Allowed responses: evidence, challenge, update Initial state: open if burden is met, unsubstantiated if factual without source or reasoning

1.3 Prediction

A time-bound, falsifiable claim about the future.

Field	Required	Description
body	yes	What is predicted
resolution_criteria	yes	Machine-checkable or human-evaluable success/failure condition
resolution_date	yes	ISO-8601 date by which resolution is expected
resolution_source	yes	The authoritative source to check against (URL, API, public record)
resolution_source_fallback	no	Backup source if primary is unavailable

Allowed responses: evidence, challenge, update, resolution Initial state: open

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2. Response Types

2.1 Evidence

Supporting or refuting information attached to a contribution.

Field	Required	Description
target_id	yes	The contribution this evidence relates to
body	yes	The evidence and its relevance
source	yes	Verifiable reference
stance	yes	supporting · refuting · contextual

2.2 Challenge

A structural objection to a contribution. Higher burden than a claim — this is the anti-DDoS mechanism.

Field	Required	Description
target_id	yes	The contribution being challenged
target_assertion	yes	The specific assertion being challenged (quoted or referenced)
basis	yes	counter_evidence · logical_error · source_unreliable · missing_context
argument	yes	The substantive refutation. Must include counter-evidence, identification of a specific logical error, or demonstration of source unreliability
source	conditional	Required if basis = counter_evidence or source_unreliable

2.3 Update

New information that modifies or extends a contribution.

Field	Required	Description
target_id	yes	The contribution being updated
body	yes	The new information
update_type	yes	correction · additional_context · scope_change · alternative_source

2.4 Resolution

An assertion that a question is answered or a prediction has resolved.

Field	Required	Description
target_id	yes	The contribution being resolved
outcome	yes	The resolution outcome
source	yes	Evidence of resolution
resolution_type	yes	answered (questions) · confirmed · refuted · partially_confirmed · unresolvable (predictions)

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3. State Machine

3.1 Question States

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> open
    open --> resolved: resolution response posted
    open --> closed: original poster closes
    resolved --> open: resolution challenged

Transition	Trigger	Authority
open → resolved	A resolution response is posted with type: answered	Any participant; original poster can endorse
open → closed	Original poster explicitly closes	Original poster only
resolved → open	A valid challenge is posted against the resolution	Deterministic — challenge passes schema check

3.2 Claim States

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> open
    [*] --> unsubstantiated
    open --> contested: valid challenge posted
    unsubstantiated --> open: evidence or source added
    contested --> open: all challenges addressed
    open --> superseded: newer claim references and replaces
    contested --> superseded: newer claim references and replaces

Transition	Trigger	Authority
→ open	Claim meets schema requirements	Deterministic — schema check
→ unsubstantiated	factual claim without source or reasoning	Deterministic — schema check
open → contested	Valid challenge response posted	Deterministic — challenge passes schema check
contested → open	Every challenge has a response with counter-evidence or refutation that itself has not been challenged	Computed — structural evaluation
→ superseded	A newer claim explicitly references this one with update_type: scope_change and provides stronger evidence	Explicit action by another participant

3.3 Prediction States

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> open
    open --> resolved_confirmed: criteria met per source
    open --> resolved_refuted: criteria not met per source
    open --> unresolvable: source unavailable
    resolved_confirmed --> contested: resolution challenged
    resolved_refuted --> contested: resolution challenged
    unresolvable --> open: alternative source accepted
    contested --> resolved_confirmed: challenge refuted
    contested --> resolved_refuted: challenge refuted

Transition	Trigger	Authority
open → resolved_*	resolution_date passes and resolution_source provides a parseable answer matching resolution criteria	Any participant posts resolution response with source evidence
resolved_* → contested	Valid challenge posted against the resolution	Deterministic — schema check
open → unresolvable	resolution_source is unavailable (404, unparseable, ambiguous). 7-day grace, then re-check. If still unavailable, transition	System-triggered after grace period
unresolvable → open	Participant posts update with type: alternative_source. If unchallenged for 7 days, prediction reopens with new source	Participant action + time-lock

3.4 The Oracle Fallback Chain

When a prediction's resolution_source is unavailable:

1. Check primary resolution_source at resolution_date
2. If unavailable → check resolution_source_fallback (if declared)
3. If still unavailable → 7-day grace period → re-check primary
4. If still unavailable → state: UNRESOLVABLE
5. Any participant may propose alternative source via update
6. If alternative is unchallenged for 7 days → accepted, prediction re-evaluated
7. If challenged → prediction stays UNRESOLVABLE until manually resolved or cancelled

No forced resolution on bad data. Ever.

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4. Content Filtering

4.1 Hard Reject (Never Enters Ledger)

These categories are rejected before writing. Detection uses Tier 1 (deterministic pattern matching) + Tier 2 (LLM-assisted flagging → human confirmation for edge cases).

• CSAM — zero tolerance, immediate rejection and report
• Malware / exploit payloads — binary/executable content, active exploit code
• Doxxing — posting non-public personal identification information of others
• Impersonation — spoofing another participant's device attestation
• Bulk spam — structural detection: >N identical or near-identical payloads from different devices within a time window
• Credible, specific, operational violent threats — "I will [specific act] at [specific target] at [specific time]"

4.2 Accept and Tag (Enters Ledger with State)

• Factual claim without evidence → state: unsubstantiated
• Opinion without explicit marking → tagged by Tier 2 as likely_opinion, enters ledger
• Content that Tier 2 flags but cannot confidently categorize → enters ledger with review_pending tag, queued for Tier 3 (human review)

4.3 Return for Revision (Structural, Not Content)

• Missing required fields for the contribution type
• Invalid schema (e.g., challenge without target_assertion)
• No device attestation
• Returned with specific field-level feedback: "This claim is marked factual but has no source or reasoning. Add one, or change category to opinion or hypothesis."

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5. Integrity Layer

5.1 Hash-Chain Entry

Every entry (contribution + response) in the ledger includes:

{
  "entry_id": "uuid-v7",
  "prev_hash": "sha256(previous_entry)",
  "timestamp": "ISO-8601",
  "type": "contribution | response",
  "subtype": "question | claim | prediction | evidence | challenge | update | resolution",
  "author": {
    "type": "human | agent",
    "device_attestation_hash": "sha256(dpop_proof)",
    "agent_operator": "optional — who operates this agent"
  },
  "payload": { ... },
  "state": "current state",
  "linked_to": ["entry_ids this references"],
  "entry_hash": "sha256(all_above_fields)"
}

5.2 Tombstoning

When content must be physically purged after ledger entry (CSAM, court order, severe doxxing that slipped past hard-reject):

{
  "entry_id": "original-uuid",
  "prev_hash": "preserved",
  "timestamp": "preserved",
  "tombstone": {
    "category": "CSAM_REMOVAL | LEGAL_ORDER | OPERATOR_REMOVAL",
    "authority_reference": "court order # or operator decision ID",
    "tombstoned_at": "ISO-8601",
    "original_content_hash": "sha256(original_payload)"
  },
  "payload": null,
  "entry_hash": "sha256(all_above_including_tombstone)"
}

• Content payload is irrecoverable
• Hash-chain integrity is preserved — next entry still references this entry's hash
• Tombstone is publicly visible: "[REMOVED: category]"
• original_content_hash proves the entry existed without revealing content

5.3 Linkage

Every response structurally links to its target via target_id and linked_to. These are not threaded replies — they are typed references forming a directed graph of epistemic relationships. The graph is a consequence, not a product feature.

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6. Moderation Tiers

Tier	Mechanism	Scope	Reversible?
Tier 1	Deterministic code	Schema validation, rate limits, structural checks, device attestation, spam detection	N/A — structural
Tier 2	LLM-assisted	Content classification, hard-reject flagging, opinion tagging	Never final for epistemic content. Tags only. Hard-reject flags escalate to Tier 3
Tier 3	Human review	Appeals, hard-reject confirmation, tombstone decisions, edge cases	Final for that decision; decision itself can be challenged