Explore

Using ClearTrace

This section explains how participants interact with ClearTrace in practice. All actions within ClearTrace are governed by evidence standards, role-based permissions, and review workflows designed to protect contributors, ensure accuracy, and prevent misuse.

⁠

Submitting a Case

A case is the primary container for documenting a potential instance of systemic harm or risk.

Cases may be submitted under categories such as:

Community or labor harm

Legal or regulatory violations

Contractual misconduct

Environmental or ecological impact

Uploading Evidence

Evidence provides the factual basis for all analysis and decisions within ClearTrace.

Supported evidence types include:

Investigative journalism

NGO or academic research

Court filings and regulatory records

Contracts and official documents

Public records and verified datasets

Testimony (handled separately with additional safeguards)

Each evidence item requires:

Source attribution

Contextual description

Consent and sensitivity designation

Evidence is cryptographically hashed and timestamped upon submission to preserve integrity and establish chain of custody. Uploaded evidence remains non-public until it has been reviewed and verified.

⁠

Providing Testimony Safely

ClearTrace supports testimony from individuals and communities directly impacted by systemic harm.

To protect contributors, testimony submissions include:

Anonymity options

Consent levels for review and publication

Retaliation and safety risk flags

Testimony is never published by default. Reviewers assess testimony in combination with corroborating evidence, contextual factors, and risk considerations.

ClearTrace prioritizes contributor safety and does not require public disclosure of identity for testimony to be considered valid.

⁠

Tracking Submissions

Contributors can view the status of their submissions through My Submissions.

Statuses may include:

Submitted

Under Review

Verification in Progress

Additional Information Requested

Verified

Closed or Archived

Status updates reflect workflow progression only and do not indicate final outcomes until review is complete.

⁠

Reading Dossiers

An entity dossier presents a consolidated, evidence-backed view of an organization under review.

Dossiers may include:

Verified cases and evidence

Legal and regulatory proceedings

Pattern analysis and risk indicators

Guardrail decisions and policy implications

Public dossiers display only verified and review-approved information. Draft, disputed, or sensitive materials remain restricted. Dossiers are designed to support informed decision-making by communities, networks, funders, and governance bodies.

⁠

Understanding Scores and Guardrails

ClearTrace uses scoring and guardrails as governance signals, not reputational rankings.

Scores

Scores reflect:

Severity of documented harm

Historical recurrence

Resistance to remediation

Degree of systemic entanglement

Scores are contextual and must be interpreted alongside qualitative evidence. They do not represent moral judgment or legal determination.

Guardrails

Guardrails define engagement boundaries:

Do Not Engage — documented systemic harm with no credible remediation

Conditional Engage — engagement permitted only under binding conditions and oversight

Allow — cleared for engagement within defined guardrails

Guardrail decisions are evidence-traceable and subject to review, appeal, and revision as new information emerges.

⁠

Final Note

ClearTrace is designed to support responsible participation. Submitting information does not guarantee publication, and reading dossiers requires contextual interpretation. The system prioritizes accuracy, safety, and accountability over speed or exposure.

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.

Try clicking the ··· in the right corner or using a keyboard shortcut (

CtrlP

) instead.