Ethics & Standards
Our commitment to ethical collection, preservation, and stewardship of personal histories.
What We Are — and What We Are Not
This project is:
- •A long-term historical archive for education and research
- •Community-centered and ethically governed
- •Built on standardized methodology and structured metadata
- •Designed to preserve stories as historical records
This project is not:
- •Journalism or news production
- •Therapy, counseling, or mental health services
- •Advocacy or organizing
- •Social media or informal storytelling
Tiered Consent
We believe participants should control how their stories are accessed and used. Before any recording, participants choose from tiered consent options:
Public Access
Story is available to the general public for education, research, and community learning.
Restricted Access
Story is available only to approved researchers and educators with demonstrated need.
Embargoed Access
Story is preserved but not released until a future date specified by the participant.
Participants also choose whether their name may be used and whether quotations may be published. Consent is ongoing — not a single moment.
Participant Rights
Every participant retains control over their story. These rights are non-negotiable:
Right to Withdraw
You may withdraw your participation at any time. We will remove public access to your story to the fullest extent possible.
Right to Redaction
You may request that specific portions of your interview be redacted or restricted, even after the interview is complete.
Right to Transparency
You will receive clear information about how your story is stored, who can access it, and how it may be used.
Our Stewardship Commitment
We hold a long-term responsibility to participants and future users. Our stewardship principles include:
- •Secure storage of recordings and consent records with access controls
- •Accurate metadata and contextualization for future interpretability
- •Respecting access restrictions and embargoes over time
- •Responsible use standards for educators and researchers
- •Stories preserved as historical records, not edited for entertainment
Full Policy Documentation
For complete details on our mission, governance, methods, and data security practices, see our full policy documentation.
View Full Policy