Moderation Policy

Moderation Principles

BrandedFacts is a community-driven fact validation platform. Facts are evaluated based on evidence, community consensus, and policy compliance - not commercial pressure or reputational concerns alone.

Moderation decisions follow the principles of:

• Transparency
• Evidence-based review
• Proportional response
• Public accountability

Fact Status Outcomes

Facts on BrandedFacts may fall into one of the following states:

• Community Verified - validated by community consensus
• Community Rejected - rejected by community consensus
• Under Evidence Review - temporarily paused for investigation
• Archived (Outdated) - previously accurate but no longer current
• Removed (Policy) - removed due to policy or legal violations (no longer publicly visible)

When a Fact May Be Removed

A fact may be removed (not merely rejected) only under the following circumstances:

Policy Violations

• Contains hate speech, harassment, or targeted abuse
• Promotes violence or illegal activity
• Discloses personal or confidential information
• Infringes copyright or intellectual property
• Is demonstrably false and defamatory (false statement presented as fact that harms reputation)

Legal Risk

• Is subject to a credible legal complaint, such as a defamation claim
• Is accompanied by a formal legal notice (e.g., cease-and-desist, takedown request)
• Poses material legal risk to the platform if left published

In such cases, the fact may be:

• Temporarily removed pending review
• Escalated to Legal Review
• Permanently removed if confirmed to violate law or policy

What Does NOT Justify Removal

The following do not justify removal on their own:

• A brand disputes the fact without evidence
• A fact damages reputation but is evidence-based
• A fact is Community Rejected
• Commercial pressure or paid requests
• Threats without legal substance

Community Rejection is not deletion. Rejected facts may remain visible for transparency unless policy or legal thresholds are met.

Brand-Initiated Requests

Brands may:

• Request an Evidence Review
• Submit documentation for Correction or Clarification
• Publish an Official Brand Statement

Brands may not:

• Pay to delete facts
• Override community outcomes
• Suppress audit history

Audit & Transparency

All major moderation actions - including removals, legal reviews, and corrections - are logged in the public audit history, except where prohibited by law.

Why transparency matters

Platforms lose trust when decisions are invisible. BrandedFacts takes the opposite approach: significant actions are logged, labeled, and open to scrutiny.

Transparency protects users, brands, moderators, and the platform itself.

How moderation works

• Facts can be flagged by users or brands with reasons and evidence
• Moderators review flags, evidence, and community signals
• Actions follow defined policy, not popularity or payment
• Outcomes include uphold, correction, archival, or escalation

What gets logged in the audit history

• Fact creation and edits
• Community voting milestones
• Reports and moderation decisions
• Brand claim approvals
• Paid evidence review requests
• Status changes (verified, corrected, archived, rejected)

What cannot be hidden or erased

• That a fact existed
• That a correction or review occurred
• That a brand submitted evidence or a statement
• That moderators took an action

Example audit timeline (illustrative)

This is an example of how activity may appear on a fact page.

Who can do what

• Users: submit facts, vote, report issues
• Brands: submit evidence, corrections, official statements
• Moderators: apply policy-based decisions
• BrandedFacts: maintain infrastructure and enforcement