Terms of service

Effective Date: September 22, 2026 | Version: Year Zero Beta

1. Overview

MyDigitalCity.io is a digital civic environment enabling structured participation, verified membership, and secure voting through a hybrid system combining digital infrastructure and real-world verification.

  • Digital City framework

  • Digital Citizen Membership

  • DC Champions system

  • N-A Perk System

  • N-A Operating System, the voting engine

N-A Media LLC builds and operates the infrastructure. NotAnnounced is the software vessel carrying the identity layer. MyDigitalCity.io is the participation surface through which individuals and entities obtain membership and act.

2. Membership

  • Digital Citizen Membership is $11.11 per year.

  • Membership grants access to participation, submissions, and platform features.

  • Membership alone does not grant verified voting rights. Paying does not buy a vote.

  • Members must be of legal age in their jurisdiction to enter a contract.

  • Membership is annual and non-refundable except where required by law. Cancellation ends renewal and does not refund the current term.

3. Participation Fees

  • Entry submissions, including DC Champions: $9.99 per entry.

  • Fees support infrastructure, system integrity, and development.

  • Entry fees are non-refundable once a submission enters an active round.

4. Verified Voting

  • Verified voting requires in-person identity verification.

  • Each verified individual receives one voting credential.

  • Voting occurs through pseudonymous identifiers.

Verification is conducted by designated N-A representatives at published locations and times, against standard identifying documents. Verification records confirm that verification occurred and are held in the identity layer under Privacy Policy Section 7.

Where in-person verification is not reasonably possible, including for members who are housebound, institutionalized, or otherwise unable to attend, alternative verification arrangements are available on request. Access is not conditioned on physical mobility.

5. System Architecture

  • Identity Layer: Verified identity data, restricted.

  • Voting Layer: Pseudonymous voting activity.

  • Operational Layer: Separation enforcement and process management.

Identity and votes are not linked in standard operations. Access conditions and constraints are stated in the Privacy Policy.

6. Creative Submissions and Intellectual Property

This section governs all paid entries, including DC Champions poems, art, and songs.

  • Ownership: You retain full ownership of your work. N-A claims no ownership at any stage of a competition.

  • License granted: By submitting, you grant N-A a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, reproduce, and distribute the work on the Platform and in Platform promotion, for as long as the work remains part of the competition record. This license is limited to that purpose.

  • Attribution: Submissions carry the artist's name. Competition requires it. Your submission identity is held separately from your voting credential.

  • Non-advancing entries: Entries that do not advance retain the same terms. N-A acquires no additional rights by virtue of a work winning or losing.

  • Withdrawal: You may withdraw a work from Platform display after its round concludes. Published results referencing the entry remain as historical record.

  • Warranty: You warrant that the work is yours and does not infringe another party's rights.

7. Prizes and Payouts

  • Prize and payout structures are published per competition before entry opens.

  • Awards above applicable reporting thresholds require identification and tax documentation. This is a legal requirement. Accepting a prize is an identified transaction.

  • Information collected for payout is used for that purpose only and is not joined to voting activity.

8. Duplicate Accounts and Abuse

  • One person, one verified identity.

  • Duplicate or fraudulent accounts are prohibited.

  • Systems monitor for anomalies and suspicious activity.

Violations may result in account suspension, vote invalidation, or removal from the Platform. Any resulting access to identity data follows the conditions and constraints in Privacy Policy Section 7. Members subject to enforcement may contest the determination through official channels.

9. Contract of Responsibility

By joining, every member affirms:

  • I believe every person has the right to human autonomy, to vote, speak, and be heard freely.

  • I want my actions in the digital world to remain private unless I choose to share them.

  • I am not responsible for, nor do I condone, the crimes or actions of any government.

  • I will participate honestly, once, as myself.

The Contract of Responsibility is the binding affirmation of membership. Acting against it is grounds for enforcement under Section 8.

10. Analog Participation

Members may opt out of digital participation and use analog methods where available. Analog participation carries reduced anonymity protection, described in Privacy Policy Section 11.

11. Organizations, Nonprofits, and Businesses

N-A works with organizations, nonprofits, and businesses to extend the identity layer to their own participation processes.

  • Organizational membership is obtained through MyDigitalCity.io.

  • Each organizational relationship is governed by a separate written agreement setting out scope, data handling, and duration. These Terms do not by themselves govern an organizational deployment.

  • An organization does not receive identity data about individual participants. It receives aggregate results under the threshold rules in Privacy Policy Section 8.

  • An organization cannot compel identity disclosure about its participants through N-A.

12. Platform Independence and Separation of Instruments

MyDigitalCity.io operates as an independent digital system and is not affiliated with any government entity. The Platform complies with applicable law where required.

The founder of N-A Media LLC is a candidate for public office in the District of Columbia. Campaign activity and Platform operation are separate instruments.

  • Platform voting results are not campaign property and are not modified for campaign benefit.

  • Membership data is not used for campaign contact, targeting, or fundraising.

  • Any result concerning a matter in which the founder has a direct electoral interest, including the Free DC vote, is published in full aggregate form with its participation count, so the result can be assessed on its face.

This separation is stated because it will be questioned. Stating it in advance is cheaper than defending it later.

13. Decentralization and Development

The Platform is in a Year Zero development phase.

  • Systems are evolving and features may change.

  • Separation is currently achieved by composing independent providers. Certain components remain centrally managed for security.

  • Increased decentralization is the objective and is not yet achieved.

Beta status describes what is not yet built. It does not limit obligations attached to fees already charged, including Sections 6, 7, and 11.

14. Service and Liability

  • The Platform is provided as is. Uninterrupted or error-free operation is not guaranteed.

  • N-A is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the Platform.

  • Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia. Disputes will first be raised through official Platform channels for good-faith resolution. Unresolved disputes are subject to the courts of the District of Columbia.

16. Dormant and Deceased Memberships

  • A membership unrenewed for twelve months is treated as dormant. Identity data enters deletion under Privacy Policy Section 13.

  • On verified notice of a member's death, the membership is closed and identity data deleted. Published results and competition records remain as historical record.

17. Acceptance and Updates

By using the Platform, users agree to these Terms and to ongoing updates. Material changes will be communicated directly. Continued use constitutes acceptance.

Identity is protected. Participation is verified. Where a claim has a limit, the limit is written.

THE HUMAN ALGORITHM

An N-A Media / NotAnnounced software