Governance & Ethics
Institutional structures and ethical frameworks that ensure profit never overrides safety.
The Three-Pillar Governance Model
The Foundation (IISF)
IP Steward & Standards Authority
Responsibilities
Owns and stewards the Grandin, Heumann, and Crenshaw modules
Defines intersectional safety standards
Maintains Charter of Fundamental Intersectional Safety Rights
Oversees research fellowship program
Approves commercial licensing agreements
Authority
Retains veto power on all commercial applications. Can revoke licenses.
The Licensee (Vector for Good)
Commercial Implementer
Responsibilities
Commercializes technology for enterprise duty-of-care
Routes risk-aware decisions into real-world operations
Implements compliance with GDPR, ISO 31030, EU AI Act
Develops sensory safety, kinetic equity features
Reports to IISF on all deployments
Maintains ethical guardrails in product design
Authority
Operates under exclusive license with performance obligations and ethical requirements
The Lock (Kill Switch Authority)
Ethical Enforcement
Responsibilities
Monitor for surveillance use cases
Detect weaponization attempts
Prevent non-consensual tracking deployments
Audit data handling and algorithmic decisions
Enforce contractual safeguards
Revoke license if terms violated
Authority
Unilateral power to terminate license and remove systems from operation
Six Core Ethical Frameworks
Intersectional Safety First
The foundational principle: commercial viability is subordinate to intersectional safety standards. Profit cannot override safety.
No system feature overrides safety requirements
Profit never supersedes human safety
Marginalized communities prioritized in design
Lived experience integrated in decision-making
Algorithmic Transparency
Systems must be comprehensible to affected communities. Users have right to understand why a decision was made.
All risk algorithms auditable by third parties
Decision pathways explainable in plain language
No black-box systems deployed
Algorithmic bias testing mandatory before release
Digital Sovereignty
Every person retains sovereignty over their data. Participation in intersectional safety systems is voluntary and revocable.
Right to opt-out of tracking without service loss
Data portability guaranteed
Users can request permanent deletion
No behavioral profiling without explicit consent
Consent Architecture
Consent is active, reversible, and context-specific. Default is non-participation.
Explicit, informed, withdrawable at any time
No pre-checked boxes or dark patterns
Quarterly consent renewal for sensitive data
Easy opt-out mechanisms visible at all times
No Weapons, No Surveillance
Hard red lines. Violations trigger immediate license revocation regardless of business impact.
Zero tolerance for weaponization pathways
No integration with law enforcement targeting systems
No deployment in immigration enforcement
No use in non-consensual identification systems
Community Accountability
Affected communities have structural power in governance, not just input solicitation.
LGBTQ+ safety organizations on advisory board
Disability rights groups review before deployment
Neurodivergent voices in design decisions
Annual community audit and feedback process
Three Design Principles: Grandin, Heumann, Crenshaw
Sensory Safety
Systems must accommodate autistic, deaf, blind, and neurodivergent users. Sensory impact audited before deployment.
Implementation Examples
Kinetic Equity
Mobility status never determines access to safety. Wheelchair users, ambulatory, and non-binary mobility respected.
Implementation Examples
Algorithmic Invisibility
Systems must prevent forced visibility. Marginalized users can participate without being tracked or identified.
Implementation Examples
The Ethical Decision Framework
Every feature, deployment, and integration runs through this framework before release.
Q:Would this feature benefit from knowing a user's marginalized identity?
A:If yes, request explicit informed consent. If no, design around identity obfuscation.
Q:Could this feature enable surveillance or weaponization?
A:If possible, redesign to eliminate that pathway. If unavoidable, do not deploy.
Q:Does this feature require forced visibility?
A:If yes, design opt-out mechanism. If not possible, reject feature entirely.
Q:Are disabled/neurodivergent/LGBTQ+ users at disadvantage with this design?
A:If yes, redesign or build compensatory features. Never ship with known equity gaps.
Board Composition & Accountability
Executive Leadership
Levi Hankins
Founder & Chair
Reserved Board Seats
Disability Advocacy Seat
Nomination Pending
Data Ethics Seat
Nomination Pending
LGBTQ+ Safety Seat
Nomination Pending
Accountability Mechanism: Board members serve 3-year terms with community review. Any member can be removed by 2/3 vote of affected community organizations.