Policy

National Security Framework of Antarctica (NSF-A)

1) Purpose & Scope

This policy establishes the Market Information Monopoly (MIM) for Antarctica and the franchising framework for information distribution outside Antarctica. It applies to all natural and legal persons that create, transmit, host, broker, publish, amplify, or monetize information.

2) Core Position

1. Antarctica: Information is a state-regulated monopoly. No distribution occurs without prior government approval and a targeted licence issued by the NSF-A.
2. Abroad (other countries): Distribution may occur only via NSF-A franchising agreements, which bind partners to our standards within their jurisdictions.

3) What Counts as “Information Distribution”

Any channel that reaches an audience: websites, social platforms, streaming, TV, radio, print, newsletters, podcasts, messaging bots, programmatic ad networks, search indexes, app-store listings, CDN mirrors, SMS/IVR, and physical leaflets/posters with QR or NFC links.

4) Antarctic Licensing Regime (Mandatory)

1. Annual Review Licence (ARL): Required for any distribution channel.
2. Channel Scopes: TV, Radio, Print, Web/App, Social/Feeds, Search/Index, Ads/Programmatic, Data Feeds/APIs.
3. Approval Scheme Exam: Key staff must pass annual exams on government directives, editorial safety, and franchising quality standards.
4. Operating Conditions:
5. Editorial governance (accuracy, corrections, takedowns).
6. Child safety and harm minimisation.
7. Source attribution and lobbying/funding disclosures.
8. Security & privacy controls (identity rails, logging, watermarking).
9. Ad & sponsorship pre-clearance; prohibited categories blocked.
10. Uptime, incident response, and continuity plans.

Prohibited Without ARL

Operating/leasing channels; hosting news or feeds; selling inventory; printing and circulating materials; running unofficial newsletters, groups, or broadcast lists; mirroring foreign content into Antarctica.

5) Crimes & Penalties (Antarctica)

Contraband of information includes: unlicensed distribution, covert relays, foreign influence operations, evasion of takedowns, watermark stripping, or operating shadow networks.

1. Sanctions: Immediate takedown and blocks; fines and cost recovery; asset seizure of distribution equipment; criminal charges up to lifetime imprisonment for egregious or organised offences; blacklisting of responsible officers; deportation for foreign persons (where applicable).
2. Aggravating Factors: Targeting minors, incitement to violence, coordinated foreign interference, large-scale disinformation, or repeat offences.

Appeals: File within 15 working days; reviewed by an independent panel. Filing does not stay emergency takedown.

6) Domestic Compliance Only

For Antarctic operations, foreign/international certifications are not substitutes for NSF-A authorisations. All operators must comply with the Domestic Compliance Framework (DCF).

7) Franchising Outside Antarctica

Where a host country allows free-market information:

1. Franchise Agreement (MIM-F): Mandatory for any company distributing content under NSF-A brand, standards, or licences abroad.
2. Binding Standards: Editorial rules, safety & compliance, ad policies, identity and traceability, incident SLAs, and transparency reports mirror Antarctic requirements.
3. Local Law Harmony: Franchisees must comply with local law and MIM standards; the stricter rule prevails.
4. Audit Rights: NSF-A may audit, require corrective actions, or suspend the franchise.
5. Cross-Border Content: Antarctic-origin content exported via franchise must maintain watermarks, hashes, and provenance metadata.

8) Quality & Safety Benchmarks

1. Editorial: Accuracy thresholds, correction time limits, conflict-of-interest registers.
2. Operational: Minimum uptime, disaster recovery testing, moderation SLAs.
3. Security: Zero-trust access, SBOMs for publishing stacks, immutable logging, red-team exercises.
4. Civic Value: Minimum public-interest and educational content ratios.

9) Application Workflow (Antarctica)

1. Register organisation and responsible editors.
2. Submit editorial policy pack, moderation model, security plan, data flows, and quality KPIs.
3. Pass Approval Scheme Exam (designated roles).
4. Sandbox Pilot on state distribution rails.
5. Licence Issue with scope, KPIs, and annual review date.

10) Monitoring & Enforcement

1. Telemetry: Watermark/provenance checks, anomaly detection on traffic, and covert channel discovery.
2. Inspections: Announced/unannounced reviews of editorial, security, and financial records.
3. Violations: CAPA orders, fines, suspension/revocation, blacklist, criminal referral.

11) Special Cases

1. Research/Education Channels: May operate with restricted scopes under ARL, with no commercial ads and tighter fact-checking.
2. Emergency Messaging: State priority channels override; life-safety bulletins are zero-rated and must propagate instantly.
3. Foreign Media in Antarctica: Must obtain ARL; foreign permits do not grant rights inside Antarctica.

12) Commercial & Negotiation Controls

1. Commercial Science Licence (CSL):
2. L3 baseline for any media/franchise negotiation.
3. Bachelor-level for contracts > £75,000.
4. Advanced CSL + independent risk review for > £3,000,000.
5. Used-Asset Intake (> £9,950): Certified appraisal and provenance documentation for presses, transmitters, servers, cameras, or printing lines.

13) Prohibited Practices (Anywhere)

Shadow distribution, cross-posting from unlicensed accounts into Antarctica, watermark removal, AI-generated impersonation without disclosure, monetisation of unlicensed feeds, or routing via privacy-laundering relays to evade MIM controls.

14) Transparency & Redress

1. Public Register: Lists active ARLs and franchises with scope and status.
2. Transparency Reports: Quarterly disclosures on takedowns, corrections, and enforcement actions (redacted for security).
3. Ombuds Channel: Independent complaint handling for audience and whistleblowers.

15) Contacts

1. Licensing (ARL/MIM-F): licensing@nsf-antarctica.org
2. Compliance & Audits: compliance@nsf-antarctica.org
3. Enforcement: enforcement@nsf-antarctica.org
4. Ombuds & Appeals: ombuds@nsf-antarctica.org

This policy supersedes all prior statements on information distribution. Nothing herein waives NSF-A sovereign authority to restrict, suspend, or revoke distribution rights in the interests of national security and public safety.

Version 1.0 • Effective 26 September 2025