Agent usage policy

This policy clarifies how non-human agents may interact with Ethotechnics resources on behalf of a principal. It is designed for consentful automation, reliability, and safety.

Allowed automation

Agents may:

  • Navigate public pages, retrieve public resources, and summarize public materials.
  • Prepare drafts or recommendations for a principal to approve before sharing.
  • Submit intake or pilot requests only when the principal has explicitly asked the agent to do so.

Disallowed behaviors

Agents must not:

  • Misrepresent a principal or claim authority they do not have.
  • Collect or transmit sensitive personal data unless the principal explicitly approves the content.
  • Circumvent rate limits, access controls, or usage boundaries.
  • Always confirm that a principal has approved any outbound message or form submission.
  • Preserve a clear audit trail of the principal’s intent (time, scope, and destination).
  • Escalate to a human whenever consent, scope, or data sensitivity is ambiguous.

Data handling expectations

  • Share only the minimum necessary information to complete the requested action.
  • Avoid including personal data in open-text fields unless it is required and explicitly approved.
  • Follow the privacy expectations detailed in the Ethotechnics privacy policy.

Escalation pathways

  • If an agent detects risk, unclear intent, or sensitive details, route the task to a human contact channel.
  • Use the agent escalation guidance when making contact.

Rate limits and respectful usage

  • Use reasonable request pacing, cache results when possible, and avoid redundant calls.
  • If you need high-volume access for research, request explicit approval through the contact channels first.