Trust is not a feeling we ask you for — it is the property of a system you can inspect. This page separates what is live in beta from the stronger verification and audit layers still planned, so CivicSignal earns credibility without pretending the hard parts are already finished.
Beta participation starts with account, email, invite/profile, rate-limit, and abuse controls. Stronger proof-of-personhood providers can be added without changing the public reputation model.
Every account receives a stable public handle. Email and account metadata stay in the authentication layer; the public product is built around handles, topic reputation, proposals, votes, and disputes.
When you answer, the active public feed keeps aggregate results hidden until cutoff. The beta stores an encrypted answer, a validated answer for resolution/reputation, and a receipt hash so the workflow can be audited while stronger end-to-end sealing matures.
Verified users can propose civic polls with a question, topic, region, outcome options, cutoff, source-of-truth, and resolution criteria. Proposals enter a moderation queue instead of going straight live, so poll quality improves without hiding the curation layer.
Every poll names a single source-of-truth before it opens, often from a region-specific template. After cutoff, a resolver records the outcome with linked evidence, a timestamp, and the named source — then a 24h dispute window opens.
Reputation is topic-specific and earned by being on the correct side of a resolved poll. It can’t be transferred, sold, staked, or boosted by paying. There is no single global score.
High-reputation users can be invited into topic panels. Panels review disputes, assess evidence, and help turn edge cases into auditable decisions without making CivicSignal dependent on a single resolver.
The public audit console exposes proposal counts, source-template coverage, disputes, panel reviews, vote commitments, and resolution evidence. A standalone export/verifier CLI is planned after beta data stabilizes.