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Legal, safety, sustainability, and ethics

Read this before any field deployment.

SkyCache exists to improve information access for communities with little or no affordable internet. It is not a tool for stealing commercial satellite broadband or bypassing paid services.

1. Receive-only by default (satellite / long-haul RF)

  • Default SkyCache configurations do not transmit on satellite uplinks.
  • SkyCache Nexus mesh transmit is only on unlicensed / ISM class links (Wi-Fi 2.4/5/6 GHz where legal; optional regional LoRa for low-bandwidth control). Never satellite TX, never "Starlink-style" uplink features.
  • Wi-Fi hotspot and mesh operation remain subject to national law (EIRP, outdoor channels, DFS, registration).
  • Any amateur radio transmit beyond unlicensed mesh requires a valid license and is outside the default product scope.
  • Software validators refuse forbidden mesh/source keywords (satellite-uplink, commercial decrypt names, etc.).
  • RX ops doctor (legal_receive_only) is fail-closed: unknown, empty, or forbidden modes (Starlink / sat uplink / commercial decrypt) do not get a green check. Allowed modes stay satellite receive-only; ISM mesh TX is not satellite TX.
  • Public answer-engine copy (llms.txt, portal /llms.txt) must stay version-locked and must not invent Mbps or dish throughput. See docs/AEO.md.

2. Allowed content and signals

SkyCache may process:

  • Unencrypted free-to-air satellite broadcasts (e.g. public weather imagery paths supported by open tools).
  • Open amateur / CubeSat telemetry where reception is lawful.
  • Offline packages the operator is licensed to redistribute (CC, public domain, Kiwix ZIM redistribution terms, Ministry of Health leaflets, etc.).
  • Operator-authored community materials.

SkyCache must not be used to:

  • Decrypt or reverse-engineer commercial encrypted satellite internet (Starlink, OneWeb, commercial VSAT, paid TV CAS, etc.).
  • Redistribute copyrighted material without rights.
  • Conduct unauthorized surveillance of people.

Configuration validation refuses known-forbidden commercial decrypt source names.

3. Operator duties

Before turning on an antenna or hotspot, the local operator / NGO must:

  1. Check national spectrum rules for satellite reception (usually receive-only is fine; confirm).
  2. Check rules for WiFi access points (power limits, registration, encryption requirements).
  3. Keep an inventory of content licenses on the hub.
  4. Train staff not to promise "free Starlink" or medical diagnosis.

4. Privacy

  • Default portal does not require login or harvest personal data for advertisers.
  • Community notes are stored locally; treat them as sensitive.
  • Logs stay on the device. Do not exfiltrate user traffic.
  • Prefer no cameras, no device fingerprinting, no third-party analytics.

5. Safety

  • Antenna masts: structural safety, lightning, grounding.
  • Electrical: correct fusing, battery chemistry (prefer LiFePO4), fire extinguisher access.
  • Health content: educational only - not diagnosis or prescription.
  • Emergency content: align with local civil protection guidance.

6. Sustainability

  • Buy repairable hardware; keep spare SD cards and a clone image.
  • Train local maintainers (see training-local-maintainer.md).
  • Plan e-waste: batteries and electronics disposal paths.
  • Prefer solar sizing that avoids constant deep discharge.

7. Ethics / humanitarian framing

  • Information access supports dignity, education, and health - not dependency on a foreign vendor's paid constellation.
  • Community ownership: the hub should be operable when the volunteer leaves.
  • Do not add covert monitoring "for security" without community consent and legal basis.
  • Be honest about limits: store-and-forward knowledge + community mesh, not free commercial broadband.
  • Never misrepresent Nexus as free Starlink / OneWeb / unlimited cellular. UI banners, README, and training materials must keep this language.

7b. Nexus mesh & opportunistic gateway

  • Mesh RF: unlicensed Wi-Fi / regional ISM only; document power and duty-cycle limits; operator verifies national rules (docs/mesh-deployment.md).
  • Gateway pulls: only open/FTA/CC/public-domain/Kiwix/MoH-style or operator-authored packs; daily quotas and priority classes (Emergency > Health > Education > ...).
  • Do not enable transparent full-mesh NAT to the public internet by default.
  • Data-mule (USB/phone handoff) is preferred when metered links are scarce.
  • Disaster mode elevates emergency/health coordination traffic - still local mesh / store-and-forward, not "free internet."

8. Third-party tools

Wrapping SatDump, gr-satellites, Kiwix, etc. does not transfer their trademarks or change their licenses. Respect each project's license when redistributing binaries.

9. Skybrary (text archives)

  • Skybrary may only ingest public domain, openly licensed, or explicitly authorized written works.
  • Every work needs provenance (source corpus, retrieval note) and a license inventory entry.
  • Never present Skybrary as a complete archive of all books ever written.
  • Large corpora are operator-hosted packs - not dumped into the git repository.
  • Health/history samples are educational, not professional advice.
  • See VISION-SKYBRARY.md and skybrary-architecture.md.