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Legal Compliance & Data Use Policies

Purpose

This document ensures Open Navigator complies with all data source terms of service, API policies, and legal requirements. Every data source is documented with its use policy, licensing terms, and compliance status.

Looking for Legal Policies?

For complete legal documentation, see:

This page provides technical compliance details for developers and data users.

📋 Overview​

Open Navigator is built on publicly available government data and open APIs. We respect all terms of service, implement proper rate limiting, provide attribution, and comply with all data use policies.

Our Commitments:

  • ✅ Transparency - All data sources are documented and cited
  • ✅ Attribution - Proper citations in all published datasets
  • ✅ Compliance - Adherence to all terms of service and API policies
  • ✅ Privacy - No collection of personal data beyond what's publicly available
  • ✅ Rate Limiting - Respectful API usage with proper delays
  • ✅ Accessibility - Making public data more accessible to communities

Legal Agreements:

🏛️ U.S. Government Data Sources​

In this section:

IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (EO-BMF)​

Data Type: Tax-exempt organization records (1.9M+ nonprofits)
Source: IRS Statistics of Income
License: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
Terms of Use: IRS.gov Copyright and Reuse Policy

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Public domain data
  • No API key required
  • No restrictions on commercial or non-commercial use
  • Attribution recommended but not required

Implementation: discovery/irs_bmf_ingestion.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Data is updated monthly by the IRS
  • Free to download and redistribute
  • No personal financial information included (aggregate data only)

IRS Form 990 Data (Google BigQuery Public Datasets)​

Data Type: Nonprofit tax filings (5M+ Form 990s, 2013-present)
Source: Google BigQuery Public Datasets
Original Source: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
License: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
Terms of Use: Google Cloud Terms of Service

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Public domain IRS data hosted by Google
  • Requires Google Cloud account and BigQuery API access
  • Standard BigQuery pricing applies (first 1TB queries/month free)
  • Must comply with Google Cloud Terms of Service

Implementation: scripts/enrich_nonprofits_bigquery.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Attribution to IRS and Google Cloud recommended
  • Subject to Google BigQuery quotas and pricing
  • Data is public but access requires Google Cloud credentials
  • Must not use for unauthorized commercial solicitation

U.S. Census Bureau Data​

Data Type: Geographic boundaries, demographics, government entities
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
APIs Used:

License: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
Terms of Use: Census Bureau Data Policy

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Public domain data
  • Free API access (API key recommended but not required)
  • No restrictions on use or redistribution
  • Attribution appreciated

Implementation: discovery/census_ingestion.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Must not claim U.S. Census Bureau endorsement
  • Data is free and unrestricted
  • API rate limits apply (500 requests/IP per day without key)

Grants.gov API​

Data Type: Federal grant opportunities
Source: Grants.gov
API Documentation: Grants.gov API
License: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
Terms of Use: Grants.gov Terms of Use

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Public government data
  • No API key required for search and fetch endpoints
  • Free unlimited access
  • Must not misrepresent grant opportunities

Implementation: discovery/grants_gov_integration.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Data is public and free to use
  • Must not alter grant opportunity information
  • Attribution to Grants.gov recommended

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)​

Data Type: School district boundaries, demographics, enrollment
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
License: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
Terms of Use: NCES Privacy Policy

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Public domain educational data
  • No API key required
  • Free download and redistribution
  • No personal student information

Implementation: discovery/nces_ingestion.py

🆓 Free Public APIs (API Key Required)​

In this section:

Open States API​

Data Type: State legislation, legislators, votes, bills
Source: Open States
Operator: Open States Foundation (part of Plural)
API Documentation: Open States API v3
License: Varies by state (generally permissive)
Terms of Use: Open States Terms of Service

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Free tier: 50,000 requests/month
  • API key required: Free registration at openstates.org
  • Must provide attribution to Open States
  • Non-commercial and commercial use allowed with attribution

Implementation: discovery/openstates_sources.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Must display "Powered by Open States" or similar attribution
  • Rate limit: 50,000 requests/month (free tier)
  • Data licenses vary by state jurisdiction
  • Must comply with API rate limits

Environment Variable:

OPENSTATES_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

Google Civic Information API​

Data Type: Elected officials, polling locations, election info
Source: Google Civic Information API
License: Google APIs Terms of Service
Terms of Use: Google Civic API Policies

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT (when API key configured)

  • Free tier: 25,000 requests/day
  • API key required: Free from Google Cloud Console
  • Must comply with Google APIs Terms of Service
  • Must display attribution: "Data provided by Google"

Implementation: discovery/google_civic_integration.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Free up to 25,000 requests/day
  • Must not cache data beyond 30 days
  • Must display Google attribution
  • Subject to Google API quotas

Environment Variable:

GOOGLE_CIVIC_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

FEC / OpenFEC API​

Data Type: Campaign finance, political contributions, candidate data, committee filings
Source: OpenFEC API
Bulk Downloads: FEC Bulk Data Portal
License: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
Terms of Use: FEC.gov Terms of Use

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

API Access:

  • Free tier: 1,000 requests/hour (API key required)
  • Demo key: 30 requests/hour (no registration)
  • API key free at api.data.gov
  • Must not use contributor data for commercial solicitation

Bulk Download Access:

  • Free unlimited downloads of complete datasets (CSV, FEC format)
  • No API key required for bulk downloads
  • Available datasets:
    • Individual contributions (Schedule A)
    • Operating expenditures (Schedule B)
    • Committee master files
    • Candidate master files
    • Campaign finance totals by election cycle
  • Updated nightly (most datasets)
  • Complete historical data from 1980s to present

Implementation: discovery/fec_integration.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • FEC data is public domain
  • CRITICAL: Cannot use contributor information for commercial solicitation or fundraising
  • Must comply with API rate limits (API only)
  • Attribution to FEC required
  • Bulk downloads have no rate limits

Environment Variable:

FEC_API_KEY=your-api-key-here  # Only needed for API, not bulk downloads

Google Data Commons​

Data Type: Demographics, economics, health statistics
Source: Google Data Commons
API Documentation: Data Commons API
License: Data Commons Terms
Terms of Use: Google Terms of Service

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Free access to aggregated statistical data
  • No API key required for most endpoints
  • Must provide attribution to Google and original data sources
  • Subject to Google Terms of Service

Implementation: discovery/google_data_commons.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Data sourced from authoritative public sources
  • Must attribute to Data Commons and original sources
  • Free for non-commercial and commercial use

🌐 Linked Open Data (No API Key Required)​

In this section:

Wikidata​

Data Type: Structured knowledge from Wikipedia
Source: Wikidata
SPARQL Endpoint: Wikidata Query Service
License: CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication
Terms of Use: Wikimedia Terms of Use

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • CC0 Public Domain - no restrictions
  • No API key required
  • Free unlimited access
  • Must respect rate limits and user agent requirements

Implementation: discovery/wikidata_integration.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Set descriptive User-Agent header
  • Respect rate limits (no more than 1 request/second recommended)
  • Data is CC0 public domain
  • Attribution appreciated but not required

User-Agent:

User-Agent: CommunityOne/1.0 (https://communityone.com/; contact@example.com)

DBpedia​

Data Type: Structured data from Wikipedia infoboxes
Source: DBpedia
Lookup API: DBpedia Lookup Service
License: CC BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL
Terms of Use: DBpedia Usage Policies

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Free to use with attribution
  • No API key required
  • Must provide attribution to DBpedia and Wikipedia
  • Must respect rate limits

Implementation: discovery/dbpedia_integration.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Must attribute to DBpedia and Wikipedia
  • Set descriptive User-Agent
  • Rate limiting recommended (1-2 requests/second)
  • Share-alike license (CC BY-SA 3.0)

💰 Paid/Commercial Services (Reference Only)​

In this section:

Ballotpedia API v3.0​

Data Type: Elected officials, ballot measures, election results
Source: Ballotpedia
API Documentation: Ballotpedia API
License: Paid service - requires commercial license
Terms of Use: Ballotpedia Terms of Use

Compliance Status: ⚠️ NOT USED (Reference implementation only)

  • PAID SERVICE - requires payment for API access
  • Code provided in discovery/ballotpedia_integration.py is reference only
  • Web scraping may violate terms of service
  • Use free alternatives instead: Google Civic API, Open States

Free Alternatives:

  • ✅ Google Civic Information API (25k requests/day free)
  • ✅ Open States API (50k requests/month free)
  • ✅ NCES (free public data for school boards)

Use Policy Key Points:

  • DO NOT USE without paid API license
  • Web scraping is discouraged and may violate ToS
  • Reference code for educational purposes only

📊 Third-Party Datasets​

In this section:

GivingTuesday 990 Data Lake​

Data Type: IRS Form 990 XML filings
Source: GivingTuesday 990 Data Infrastructure
Storage: AWS S3 Public Bucket (no credentials required)
License: Public Domain (IRS data)
Terms of Use: AWS S3 Public Dataset Program

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Public dataset program
  • No AWS credentials required (--no-sign-request)
  • IRS data is public domain
  • Attribution to GivingTuesday and IRS required

Implementation: scripts/enrich_nonprofits_gt990.py

Use Policy Key Points:

  • Free access via AWS S3
  • Must attribute to GivingTuesday and IRS
  • Standard AWS data egress charges may apply
  • Data is public domain

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer​

Data Type: Nonprofit data and 990 filings
Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
API Documentation: Nonprofit Explorer API
License: Mixed (IRS data is public domain, ProPublica analysis varies)
Terms of Use: ProPublica Data Store Terms

Compliance Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • Free API access (no authentication or API key required)
  • IRS data is public domain
  • Must attribute to ProPublica
  • Editorial/analytical use allowed, but cannot redistribute or commercialize raw data

Use Policy Key Points:

  • ✅ Free unlimited API access
  • ✅ Must provide attribution to ProPublica
  • ✅ Can use data for publication, analysis, and editorial purposes
  • ❌ Cannot republish raw data in its entirety
  • ❌ Cannot sell access to the data or charge for it
  • ❌ Cannot sell advertising specifically against the data
  • ❌ Cannot sub-license or resell the data
  • ProPublica's analysis may have separate copyright
  • Rate limiting recommended (be respectful, ~1 req/sec suggested)

🔒 Privacy & Data Protection​

In this section:

Personal Information​

What We Collect:

  • ✅ Publicly available information from government sources
  • ✅ Elected officials' names, positions, contact information (public records)
  • ✅ Public meeting attendees and speakers (from published minutes)
  • ✅ Nonprofit organization data (from IRS filings)

What We DON'T Collect:

  • ❌ Private citizen information not in public records
  • ❌ Personal financial information
  • ❌ Health information
  • ❌ Social Security numbers
  • ❌ Any data that requires authentication to access

GDPR & Privacy Compliance​

Status: ✅ COMPLIANT

  • All data is from public sources (government records, public meetings, tax filings)
  • No personal data collection beyond publicly available information
  • No tracking or behavioral profiling
  • Right to be forgotten: Contact us to request removal of public records data

Legal Basis:

  • Legitimate Interest: Making public government data accessible
  • Public Task: Civic engagement and democratic participation
  • Public Records Exception: Government records are exempt from many privacy restrictions

Data Retention​

  • Source data refreshed from authoritative sources monthly
  • Cached data retained for performance optimization
  • Public records data retained indefinitely (historical archive)
  • API keys and credentials stored securely in environment variables (never in code)

🚨 Rate Limiting & Fair Use​

In this section:

Our Rate Limiting Policies​

To be respectful of data sources and comply with terms of service:

SourceRate LimitImplementation
Wikidata1 req/secondtime.sleep(1.0)
DBpedia2 req/secondtime.sleep(0.5)
Ballotpedia (web scraping)1 req/2 secondsawait asyncio.sleep(2.0)
Open States50k/monthAPI key quotas
Google Civic25k/dayAPI key quotas
Census API500/day (no key)API key recommended
FEC API1,000/hourAPI key required

User-Agent Requirements​

All HTTP requests include descriptive User-Agent headers:

User-Agent: CommunityOne/1.0 (Civic Engagement Platform; https://communityone.com/)

This allows data providers to:

  • Identify our platform
  • Contact us if issues arise
  • Monitor usage patterns

✅ Attribution & Citations​

In this section:

How We Provide Attribution​

In Published Datasets:

  • HuggingFace dataset cards include full citations
  • README files list all source attributions
  • Data provenance tracked in metadata columns

In Documentation:

In Application:

  • Footer attribution to all data sources
  • "About this data" tooltips with source information
  • Links to authoritative sources for verification

Required Attributions​

When using our datasets, please include:

Data sources:
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public Domain)
- IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (Public Domain)
- Open States API (openstates.org)
- Google Civic Information API
- Wikidata (CC0 Public Domain)
- DBpedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Processed and published by: Open Navigator
https://github.com/getcommunityone/open-navigator-for-engagement

📜 Software License​

Open Navigator is licensed under the MIT License.

See LICENSE for full text.

Summary:

  • ✅ Free for commercial and non-commercial use
  • ✅ Modification and redistribution allowed
  • ✅ Attribution required (MIT License notice)
  • ✅ No warranty or liability

No Government Endorsement​

This platform is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by:

  • U.S. Internal Revenue Service
  • U.S. Census Bureau
  • Any state or local government
  • Any data source provider

Data Accuracy​

While we strive for accuracy:

  • Data is sourced from authoritative public sources
  • Data is provided "as is" without warranties
  • Users should verify critical information with original sources
  • Errors in source data may be present in our datasets

This platform provides information only. It does not provide:

  • Legal advice
  • Medical or health advice
  • Financial advice
  • Professional consultation services

Limitation of Liability​

See LICENSE for full limitation of liability terms.

📞 Contact & Compliance Questions​

For compliance questions or concerns:

To request data removal:

  • Public records data: Contact the original government agency
  • Our processing: Open a GitHub issue or email us

To report API abuse or violations:

  • Open a GitHub issue with details
  • We will investigate and remediate promptly

Data Documentation​

Compliance is a Priority

We take legal compliance seriously. If you notice any issues with data usage, licensing, or terms of service compliance, please open an issue immediately.

All users must comply with:

🔗 Related Documentation​

Compliance is a Priority

We take legal compliance seriously. If you notice any issues with data usage, licensing, or terms of service compliance, please open an issue immediately.