Proposed technical covenant — not enacted law

API Integration Law

A proposed technical governance covenant that makes the static human-readable record primary and all automation subordinate.

1. Static human access

The framework remains readable without JavaScript, account, database, remote model, API or network connection.

2. Public fail-open; private fail-closed

Public explanatory content may use a local deterministic fallback. Private or restricted data stops rather than silently routing elsewhere.

3. Governance envelope

Every API action declares data class, purpose, authority, retention, accessibility profile, human override, provenance and trace ID.

4. No automated rights finding

No score independently creates criminal intent, dangerousness, diagnosis, confinement, immigration status, custody, eligibility or another life-affecting status.

5. Replaceable adapters

Open standards and capability negotiation prevent one vendor or broken endpoint from owning access.

6. Cryptographic transparency

Hashes, signatures, provenance and release notes make changes detectable. Cryptography proves integrity, not truth.