Human-I-T Editorial Policy:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

This policy mandates that all Human-I-T content must uphold the dignity of our beneficiaries and protect privacy above all else. We enforce rigorous standards for content integrity, non-coerced consent, and legal compliance regarding IP and trademarks. Our communications are designed to be informed, authentic, and empowering, ensuring we maintain public trust as a leading social enterprise.

TIER 1: GOVERNING PRINCIPLES AND MISSION ALIGNMENT

The primary mandate of all Human-I-T content is to rigorously uphold the organization’s dual mission of achieving digital equity and environmental stewardship. Content must function as a trusted source that reinforces transparency and verifiable impact.

1.1 Core Voice and Values

All communication must adhere to principles of truthfulness, accuracy, and respect, consistently preserving the dignity of the individuals and communities served. Our voice is defined by the following core attributes:

• Informed: Content must be grounded in measurable data and technical expertise.   
• Authentic: Communications must exhibit a genuine commitment to our dual mission, using authentic stories and verifiable facts.   
• Empowering: Our communication must avoid framing beneficiaries solely as subjects of deficit and instead focus on their resilience, agency, and empowerment through technology.
  

The tone across all channels must be constructive, positive, and solutions-focused, demonstrating results and inspiring broad community engagement.  

1.2 The Mandate for Mission Focus

To maintain focus and safeguard our non-profit mission, personnel must maintain a positive and appropriate demeanor in all communication. General conversations about divisive topics, such as religion or current political events, must be kept off organizational channels, as these topics are deemed distracting to the core mission of digital equity.

1.3 Key Impact Factoid (Mandatory Inclusion)

All high-level partnership proposals, annual reports, and impact communications must highlight the following, designated high-visibility metric:
57% of device and internet recipients will access essential social services within 3 months of getting connected to personal technology.   

TIER 2: CONTENT INTEGRITY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) MANAGEMENT

Human-I-T maintains absolute control over its trademarks, proprietary content, and brand assets. This section ensures the organization is recognized as the definitive, original source of its content.

2.1 Intellectual Property and Ownership


All materials, including content, graphics, images, and logos, are the copyrighted and exclusive property of Human-I-T. The organization’s names and logos are trademarks protected by national statutes. All rights not expressly granted to external users are reserved by Human-I-T.

2.2 Prohibited Alteration and Derivative Works

The Recipient (external user) is strictly prohibited from revising, altering, adapting, stretching, distorting, recoloring, or otherwise manipulating the organization’s name, design logos, or wordmarks. Users are also forbidden from creating any derivative works incorporating the content.  

2.3 Defined Commercial Boundaries and Licensing

Unauthorized reproduction or publication of Human-I-T materials is prohibited and requires advance written permission.

• Non-Commercial Definition: “Non-commercial” is defined as any use that is not directly intended to generate sales, profits, or any other commercial advantage for the user.   
• Prohibited Commercial Use: Incorporating content into a paid offering, displaying advertisements on a website containing the content, or using the content in advertising or marketing for third-party services is strictly prohibited.   
• Anti-Obfuscation Rule: Users are prohibited from linking or embedding organizational materials such that the site or content is “framed,” surrounded, or obfuscated by any third-party content, materials, or branding (e.g., banner ads or paid login walls).  

2.4 Attribution and Legal Agreement

For any materials permitted for external use, the policy requires clear attribution. This must include attributing the material to Human-I-T and providing a link to the official website, ensuring that the attribution does not imply endorsement of the user or their product.

• Disclaimer: All content is provided “AS IS” and without warranties of any kind. Access and use of the materials are at the recipient’s own risk.
• Legal Acknowledgment: By using or accessing the organization’s materials, the recipient acknowledges and agrees to be legally bound by this Editorial Policy and the organization’s overall Terms of Use.  

TIER 3: ETHICAL CONTENT STANDARDS AND SUBJECT PROTECTION

The organization’s policy is governed by the “Do No Harm” principle, prioritizing the safety, dignity, and privacy of beneficiaries above all promotional considerations.

3.1 Principles of Dignity, Consent, and Non-Stigmatization

Content must ensure the dignity of subjects and avoid categorizations that expose them to negative reprisals, discrimination, or rejection.

• Stereotype Avoidance: Content creators must consciously avoid imagery that perpetuates harmful generalizations, such as depicting women or people with disabilities in passive roles, or portraying white Western workers giving while local individuals passively receive.   
• Contextual Accuracy and Staging: The subject’s story or image must always be presented with accurate context. The staging of life-changing or dramatic events is strictly prohibited. Images should be taken in the person’s natural environment.  

3.2 Requirements for Informed and Non-Coerced Consent

Consent for media participation must be informed, explicit, unambiguous, and freely given.

• Non-Coercion Mandate: Content gatherers must clearly communicate that the aid, technology, or services received will not be impacted in any way by consenting or refusing media participation.
• Withdrawal: Content gatherers must provide multiple opportunities for the subject to decline participation or withdraw consent, even after an interview or photo session has concluded.  

3.3 Mandatory Privacy and Metadata Protocols

Publishing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of children, vulnerable adults, community members, and families who partner with the organization is strictly prohibited on social media or any public platform. Sharing or asking community members for their personal social media handles is also strictly prohibited.

Metadata Scrubbing Protocol (Security vs. Authority)

To protect beneficiary privacy while preserving content ownership, a strict two-part metadata policy is mandated upon ingestion of high-resolution media:

1. PII/Safety Metadata Scrubbing: All sensitive, personally identifying data, including geolocation data (GPS coordinates), device IDs, dates, and photographic metadata that could compromise a subject’s safety, must be immediately removed and permanently scrubbed.
2. Authority Metadata Preservation: Organizational ownership information, including IPTC Copyright, Author, and Description tags, must be preserved and securely embedded to prove content origin and protect intellectual property.

Mandatory Anonymity for High-Risk Categories

The policy mandates that the name and visual identity of subjects in specific high-risk categories must be changed or obscured:

1. A victim of sexual abuse or exploitation.   
2. A perpetrator of physical or sexual abuse.   
3. A child identified as HIV positive, or living with AIDS, unless explicit, fully informed consent is given.   
4. A child charged or convicted of a crime. 

TIER 4: ACCURACY, TECHNICAL STANDARDS, AND AUTHENTICITY

Maintaining the integrity and accuracy of published content requires rigorous technical and editorial standards for both visual and textual materials.

4.1 Technical and Visual Image Standards

• Manipulation and Staging: Manipulation of photographic images is strongly discouraged. Photography must accurately represent the subject matter and events being captured.   
• Caption Integrity: Captions must be specific, accurate, and truthful, both explicitly and implicitly.
• Required Resolution: To ensure professional use across publications, photographic images must meet or exceed defined technical standards, typically requiring high-resolution formats (e.g., printable to A4 or greater at 300 dpi, or minimum 4800 pixels along the longest side).  

4.2 Policy on Synthetic and AI-Generated Media

All content must be primarily human-generated, ensuring that the genuine voices of organizational leaders and experts are retained, prioritizing the expression of complex ideas by human experts.

• Mandatory Labeling: Any AI-generated content or the use of specific technologies (e.g., greenscreen) must be clearly labeled. This labeling is essential to prevent viewers from being confused about what is real or believing someone is in a location they are not.
• Prohibition on Synthetic Storytelling: The use of generative AI to create synthetic media (e.g., deepfakes, AI-generated voices, or simulated images) to depict or narrate the lived experiences of beneficiaries or vulnerable populations is strictly prohibited.

4.2.1 AI Transparency, Disclosure, and Human Accountability

Human-I-T maintains strict governance over the use of artificial intelligence in content creation. AI may assist with preparatory tasks but is never permitted to replace human judgment, lived experience, or final editorial approval. All AI-assisted content is subject to mandatory disclosure, multi-stage human review, and documented accountability.

View AI Content Disclosure Policy

4.3 External Citation and Technical Rigor

All factual or technical claims must be rigorously verifiable and attributable.

• Resource Quality: Content creators are permitted to link to external sites when supplementary detail is needed, but only if the external site is demonstrably trustworthy.
• Attribution: Technical assertions about digital equity, security, or hardware standards must be attributed to verifiable sources, such as official technology standards bodies, academic research, or internal white papers authored by accredited subject matter experts.  

TIER 5: OPERATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK

An effective editorial policy requires clear structures for decision-making, content approval, and addressing violations, establishing clear human accountability.

5.1 Content Approval and Media Coordination

To ensure message consistency and manage organizational risk, a centralized approach to external communications is mandatory.

• Media Gatekeeper: All personnel, including staff and volunteers, must coordinate all direct media contact through a central media team.   
• Quote Pre-Approval: Any quotes or statements provided to journalists must first be agreed upon by the media team, as these are considered “public facing organizational quotes”.
• Policy Compliance: Staff training must proactively address digital risk management, specifically raising awareness of external parties seeking to draw out inappropriate or unauthorized information.  

5.2 Violation Reporting Mechanisms

A robust accountability framework requires established mechanisms for reporting policy breaches using a dual-channel system:

• Informal Reporting: For minor content errors, general inquiries, or disputes, a direct point of contact, such as a designated Community Manager, should be established.
• Formal Ethics and Accountability Line: For serious concerns—including harassment, discrimination, PII breaches, suspected illegal or unethical activity, financial misstatements, or conflicts of interest—a confidential, 24/7 reporting channel must be provided. This line accepts reports anonymously via online platforms or phone, offering protection to whistleblowers.  

5.3 Policy Review and Data Security

• Personal Data Protection: The editorial policy explicitly mandates that all content gatherers and managers adhere to the organization’s overarching rules on personal data protection.
• Dynamic Policy Review: This policy must be recognized as a dynamic document reflecting contemporary standards. The organization assigns the content creator the responsibility to stay informed of changes in technical and ethical procedures. A formal, mandated cycle of policy review—ideally annual—will be led by the policy or legal department to ensure continuous relevance and compliance with evolving technological and legal landscapes.