SCOPE.md.example

# SCOPE.md (template)

**Required for any non-self subject pass.** Copy this file to `SCOPE.md` and fill it in before running the tool on someone other than yourself. The tool refuses to operate without `SCOPE.md` present.

The point of this file is forcing-function deliberation: who, why, and under what authority you're building a dossier on another person.

---

## Subject

- Full name:
- Aliases / handles known to be theirs:
- Approximate date range / era of interest:
- Why you're building this dossier (one paragraph; be specific):

## Authority / consent

Pick one and document it. Add written evidence (link, paste, file path) where possible.

- [ ] **Explicit consent.** The subject has agreed to this research. Evidence:
- [ ] **Public-figure framing.** The subject is a public figure (politician, executive, author, performer); the research is limited to their public role. Justification:
- [ ] **Legitimate interest.** The research serves a documented purpose (journalism, due diligence, security investigation, family-history research with subject deceased, etc.) that outweighs the subject's reasonable privacy expectations. Justification:
- [ ] **Other.** Describe and justify:

## Limits

State explicitly what is **out of scope** for this dossier even if discoverable. Examples:

- Home addresses, phone numbers, family members' identities — never surfaced.
- Minor children's names or images — never surfaced.
- Medical / health information — out of scope unless directly relevant and consented.
- Communications the subject would reasonably consider private (DMs, leaked emails) — out of scope unless lawfully published.
- Other subject-specific limits:

## Stop conditions

What signals would cause you to halt the dossier?

- Subject withdraws consent (if consent-based):
- New evidence the original justification was wrong:
- The dossier surfaces something not anticipated and you want to pause for human review:
- Other:

## Distribution

Who else will see / use this dossier?

- Just you (private notes):
- Shared internally with a small named group (list them):
- Published / shared publicly (describe; consider whether the subject has been notified):

## Sign-off

- Author: <your name>
- Date: <YYYY-MM-DD>
- I have read the project's `README.md` § Legal + ethical and `AGENTS.md` § Legal / ethical and accept the constraints documented there.