Due process layer

Cognitive Due Process

If a system touches the boundary between inquiry and conduct, it needs reasons, records, review, export, and a strict ban on source mutation.

No thought jurisdiction Thought is not conduct Source remains source Appeal, export, exit

The procedural premise

Cognitive Liberty is not only a slogan about the mind. It requires procedure. A platform or state system that refuses, reports, retains, scores, or restricts thought-adjacent material should carry the burden of showing the concrete conduct boundary, the legal trigger, the evidence basis, and the remedy path.

Procedure does not make thought policing legitimate. It helps prevent legitimate conduct controls from becoming hidden thought controls.

Minimum procedural rights

SafeguardMeaningWhy it matters
NoticeTell the user when a high-impact restriction occurs unless a specific security exception applies.Prevents invisible governance.
Reason codeName the conduct-boundary category, not a vague moral defect.Keeps refusal tied to acts.
Source preservationKeep the original inquiry unchanged.Prevents counterfeit identity and retroactive normalization.
Boundary event logRecord refusal, quarantine, redaction, report, or review outside the source.Creates auditability.
ExportAllow user access to preserved records and variance logs where lawful.Supports exit and correction.
AppealProvide review for high-impact decisions.Counters classifier error and institutional overreach.
Deletion/minimizationAvoid indefinite retention of thought-adjacent logs.Reduces future dragnet risk.

Public reason code model

{
  "event_type": "refusal_or_report_review",
  "public_reason_code": "conduct_boundary_review",
  "forbidden_codes": [
    "dangerous_topic",
    "unlawful_thought",
    "bad_person",
    "ideological_deviation"
  ],
  "required_fields": [
    "source_hash",
    "preserved_source_unchanged",
    "conduct_boundary",
    "law_or_policy_trigger",
    "notice_status",
    "appeal_path",
    "retention_limit_utc"
  ],
  "rule": "No hidden scoring of private inquiry."
}

Security exception discipline

Some details may need temporary withholding during a concrete security incident. That exception must be narrow, logged, time-limited, and reviewable. It cannot swallow notice, export, or appeal as a class.

A system that refuses to explain because explanation might reveal the system is not exercising due process. It is asking to become unreviewable.

No safety system becomes sovereign by declaring its reasons too dangerous to inspect.

The archive studies symbols. It does not appoint targets. Review the Community Baseline and Editorial Policy before submitting dangerous or symbolic material.

Community Baseline / Editorial Policy