Ethics and Transparency

Last updated: July 2026

Why this page exists

This publication argues that trust is the match between what you say and what you do. It would be strange to make that argument and then be vague about how this work itself is made. So here is the plain version: how it is written, where AI fits, how I handle facts, and how I do or don’t make money from it. If any of this changes, I will update this page and date it.

How this is written, and where AI fits

I write this, using GenAI tools as a drafting and editing partner.

The parts that matter are mine: the framework, the thirteen principles, the arguments, and the judgment about what is true and worth saying. I use these tools to draft from my own notes, tighten wording, pressure-test an argument, and format the result. I read, rewrite, and sign off on every line before it goes out, taking full responsibility for all of it. They help a one-person publication ship every week. They do not decide what I think.

Put simply: the thinking is mine, the words are mine to answer for, and GenAI is part of how the work gets finished.

The AI scan stays on

Substack can scan posts for AI assistance and label them. I leave that scan on for every post, so it’s open for anyone to see. I am not trying to beat a detector. If a scanner marks this as AI-assisted, or even as fully AI, it does not trouble me, because the claim I am making was never that no tool touched the words. The claim is that the ideas, the framework, and the thinking are mine and that I stand behind every line. Read the scan, read the work, and judge for yourself. I would rather present my original thinking honestly than game a scanner.

Facts, history, and quotations

The framework uses real history and real quotations to make its points. Every example and every quote is checked against sources before it is published. When I get something wrong, I correct it in the open and mark the correction rather than quietly editing it away. Accuracy is my responsibility, not the tool’s.

The framework is original work

Trust Architecture, its thirteen principles, the Specification, the diagram, and the essays are my original work, published free to read and share under a Creative Commons license. The full terms are on the License page.

Images and diagrams

The diagram, the feather mark, and the visuals here are my own, made with design tools, not AI image generators. If I ever use an AI-generated image, I will label it.

Money, and independence

Right now this publication is free. There is no paid tier, no sponsorship, no advertising, and no affiliate links. I write it because I want the ideas to spread, not to sell. If that ever changes, I will say so plainly: any sponsored or paid content will be labeled, I will keep full editorial control over what I accept, and I will never let a sponsor decide what the framework says.

Your data

I collect as little as possible, essentially your email, handled through Substack so you receive the newsletter. It is never sold, rented, or shared. If a paid option is ever added, payments run through Stripe. Ask me to delete your details any time and I will.

Corrections and accountability

Mistakes happen. When they do, I correct them promptly and in the open. The point of this work is that failures get answered honestly, at the level of what caused them. I try to hold myself to the same standard I ask of the organisations I write about.